Redemption
by Ta1u1a
Summary: AU - Belthazor kidnapped Prue as a child and raised her to be evil. After 24 years, she returns to destroy the family she believes gave up on her.
1. Fate Rewritten

**Fate Rewritten**

Music Credit: "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence, "My Last Breath" by Evanescence

* * *

><p><strong>Present Day<strong>

She astral-projected into the parlor of the old Victorian manor and moved quietly through the house until she could hear their voices. They were all upstairs in the attic, discussing their options. Like always a demon was attacking. Phoebe's premonition alerted them to it. But this demon was different. This demon held a special importance to all of them, and also to the Power of Three. She stood outside the door and listened to their conversation.

"What if we have to vanquish her?" Paige asked. She was always one to weigh all the options. She wanted to be prepared.

"We aren't going to. We have to find a way to keep that from happening," Phoebe said. She knew her premonitions usually were meant to lead them to a demon that would have to be vanquished. But this time it was different.

"But from what you described in that premonition we're not going to have much of a choice," Paige said.

"We'll find a way," Piper shot back. "We've been presented a chance to get her back on the side of good. We can't just ignore it."

"They're right, Paige," Patty added. "Premonitions are just a warning of what's to come so that you can change it. How you change it is up to you."

"I still think we should be prepared for the possibility…"

"We will be," Patty added. "But only as a last resort. I'm not about to vanquish Prue if there's a possibility of bringing her back."

Prue's smirk turned to a frown when she had heard most of their conversation. So it was either be vanquished or be good. In her evil heart she would rather have the vanquish. But that didn't really matter. She wouldn't give them the chance to say any spells. Her plan would prove to make them suffer and then they would die once she had claimed all of their powers. The powers of four additional Warren witches would make her the Charmed One. And with that much power, no one would be able to stop her.

**October 10, 1977**

They were just three young girls, but it was amazing the amount of noise their little feet could make coming down the Manor stairs. Patty was pregnant with her fourth daughter, but no one really knew about it except for her mother and her whitelighter and lover, Sam. Their fear of what the Elders might do forced them to keep this child a secret, even from the three little girls that entered the parlor where she sat.

"Mommy, Prue took my doll and hid it and she won't tell me where it is!" Piper cried with a quivering pout.

"Tattle tale!" Prue shouted at Piper.

"Meanie!" Piper shouted back.

"Whiner!"

"Stealer!"

"Bah!" two-year-old Phoebe added, not really good with much vocabulary yet.

"Girls," Patty interrupted sharply. All three of them looked up at her. "Prue, I want you to go get Piper's doll and apologize right now."

"But mommy…"

"Prudence Ann Halliwell, you do as I say," Patty said. Prue turned and skulked out of the room, knowing that when her mother used her full name, let alone called her Prudence, that meant trouble.

Phoebe climbed up onto Patty's lap and Piper sat on the sofa next to her while they waited for Prue to come back. Moments later they heard a scream from upstairs. It was Prue. Patty immediately went into action, moving Phoebe out of her lap and onto the sofa next to Piper. Both girls' eyes were wide with fear and confusion.

"Piper, honey, if _anybody_ comes into this room I want you to freeze them, okay?" she said to her four-year-old daughter. Piper simply nodded her head, too scared to form words.

Patty and her mother met at the bottom of the stairs and barely glanced at each other as they took the steps two at a time. When they reached the room where the scream had come from they were taken aback by the large demon standing there. They both recognized him well from the illustration in the Book of Shadows. Penny was about to use telekinesis on him when he shook his head and tightened his hold around a terrified and squirming Prue. He spoke to them in his deep voice.

"One move and I'll kill her."

They hesitated and he took that moment to shimmer out of the Manor with the eldest Charmed One, not to be seen or heard from for another 24 years.

**Present Day**

Piper stood at the stove mixing herbs and other magical ingredients into what she hoped to be an effective potion. Paige stood by, mostly watching but assisting when she could. Phoebe and Patty were in the parlor working on spells. The kitchen was silent except for the sound of the bubbling pot on the stove. Finally Paige broke that silence with a question.

"What do you remember about her, Piper? I mean, before she was evil."

Piper sighed. It wasn't something they talked about much. Phoebe and Paige wanted to know about Prue, but they knew it hurt Piper and Patty to talk about it. With Phoebe only two at the time and Paige not even born, Piper was the only one of the three sisters who remembered Prue before she was taken. She remembered how they would play together. She remembered every detail about the day the demon attacked and took her big sister away. She remembered how Patty, Grams and Sam had fought the Elders to let Sam and Patty keep Paige to reconstitute the Power of Three. With Prue on the side of evil, they needed the Power of Three to defend against her and possibly get her back. The Elders had reluctantly agreed.

"I remember right before she was taken she had hidden one of my dolls from me and wouldn't give it back," Piper said with a smirk. But that quickly disappeared and her face turned serious. "Mom sent her upstairs to get it and then she was taken."

Paige regretted bringing it up. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay," Piper said. She knew Paige was just curious. "I guess that's just the most vivid memory I've got."

Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. They looked at each other. Confused at who would come over at this hour unexpectedly. When they made it to the foyer Phoebe was already opening the door to their visitor.

"Andy," she said as she stepped back to allow him in. "What are you doing here?"

"Same old, same old," he said as he pulled something out of his coat pocket. He handed it over to Phoebe as he moved to Piper and gave her a kiss. "Hey, honey."

"Hi," she said with a small smile as she wrapped her arm around his waist. Andy had been friends with Prue and Piper from the day they could talk to each other. After Prue was taken Piper and Andy became closer. He hadn't learned of their family secret until a few years ago and that's when he also learned about what really happened to Prue. By that time he and Piper were practically married. Now they were engaged.

"So what present did you bring us this time?" Patty asked with a smirk. As a police inspector Andy would keep his eye out for the "weird" cases and make sure he brought them to the Halliwells' attention. Phoebe hadn't taken the item out of its evidence bag yet. She didn't want to risk a premonition until she knew the whole story.

"Athame," he replied. "We've got five homicides so far. All of the victims were suspended face down above the ground and ritualistically bled. The symbols carved on the victims match the symbols on the blade."

"Five already?" Paige asked, surprised that Andy hadn't come to them sooner. He nodded his head.

"They were all done at about the same time last night, in different places," he said. "They've gotta be connected. Right now we're figuring a group of people."

"Not necessarily," Piper said. "Most demons and warlocks can transport themselves from place to place instantly in some way. It wouldn't have been hard for a demon to do this on its own."

"Prue can shimmer," Paige said.

"And astral project," Phoebe added.

"You really think Prue did this?" Andy asked.

"It's a possibility," Patty answered. "But it's not the only possibility. We need to figure out what this ritual is and what it's for."

"It's for destroying the Power of Three."

The group turned toward where the voice came from and saw Prue standing in the doorway of the parlor. Piper stepped away from and slightly in front of Andy protectively. Patty was about to try to freeze her when Prue put both hands out and swept them in opposite directions, telekinetically throwing Andy, Patty, Paige and Phoebe in one direction toward the front door and Piper in the opposite direction toward the dining room. As they all tried to recover Prue telekinetically opened the front door and threw Andy, Patty, Paige and Phoebe out of it, the four of them tumbling onto the front walk. Then she quickly slammed the door shut with her power.

"Cantade!" she shouted. A red glow swept over all of the walls and quickly disappeared. She had magically sealed the Manor from everyone. Then she turned to Piper. Before the witch could do anything, Prue thrust out her right hand and telekinetically blew all the furniture in the hallway towards Piper. The force of the power caused an explosion that threw Piper back into the far corner of the dining room. She slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Prue walked over to her and checked for a pulse. Sometimes she got carried away with her power. She didn't want to kill Piper just yet. She was important to the plan. She smiled when she felt a pulse. Then she dragged her out of the dining room in order to prepare her for the ritual.

Outside, Andy was the first to recover. He jumped to his feet and charged up the porch steps, ready to break through the door if necessary. But instead of breaking through, the magical force field sent him flying through the air. He hit the ground at the top of the cement stairs and then tumbled down them, coming to a stop against the side of Piper's Jeep, which was parked on the side of the street.

"Andy!" Phoebe cried when she saw this. The three witches hurried to his side to make sure he was okay.

"Ow," he said quietly. He just sat against the side of the Jeep rubbing his neck. "What the hell…?"

"Prue probably erected a magical barrier to keep us out," Patty said. She looked to Paige who shook her head.

"I already tried to orb in," she replied to Patty's silent question. "Didn't work."

They all looked up when they saw bluish-white lights nearby. The familiar lights turned into their whitelighters, Sam and Leo. They both looked very concerned. Phoebe reached over and took Leo's hand as she stood. Paige and Patty helped Andy up from the ground. Then Patty moved over beside Sam.

"What's going on?" Leo asked. "We tried to orb into the Manor and ended up out here."

"Prue attacked," Paige said. "She put up a force field. We can't get in either."

"Yeah, I learned the hard way," Andy commented. Then he looked to Patty. "Can you three get it down? You've gotta get Piper out of there before Prue does anything to her."

"We might be able to get it down, but it could take a while," Patty replied. "But we also need to figure out this ritual. Leo, Andy, and Phoebe you need to go over the information from last night's murders and see if you can get any details from that. Paige, Sam and I will work on this barrier."

They all agreed to that plan. Leo orbed out with Andy and Phoebe, and the others started discussing ways to get back into the Manor and save Piper.

**June 10, 1977**

"…Happy birthday dear, Piper. Happy birthday to you!"

Once the singing had ended, Piper knew exactly what she was supposed to do. She closed her eyes, made a wish and then blew out the four candles on the large cake in front of her…a cake she had "helped" Grams make. In reality she had ended up getting covered in flour and "helped" clean the mixing bowl by scooping up all the batter she could with a spatula and her fingers.

When she opened her eyes all she saw was the four wisps of smoke coming up from the extinguished candles, the unforgettable smell of the smoke creeping up to her nose. She smiled and everyone else clapped and cheered for her. Prue was sitting to her right and she posed a question to her little sister.

"What'd you wish for?"

"I can't tell," Piper said. "It won't come true."

She wasn't really sure if that superstition was true or not. But it didn't matter. She would've been embarrassed to tell Prue anyway. Her wish that her big sister would always be there to play games with and have fun with and to read her stories was something she didn't tell anyone. She was afraid to be teased for it. She idolized Prue and nobody knew it. And she didn't know that her wish wouldn't come true…

**Present Day**

Her head felt like it was going to explode. The throbbing started on the right side of her forehead and then spread like tentacles of pain all throughout her head. Her vision was blurry and wouldn't seem to focus at all. She could tell she was tied down to something. She could feel her feet bound together at the ankles, something holding her at the waist and her arms stretched out straight and tied at the wrists. It was dark. Wherever she was, even without the blurred vision, she wouldn't be able to see much. She heard a scratching noise and then smelled the familiar sulfur of a match that has just been lit and blown out.

"Mmmm…" she groaned as she finally realized how stiff her neck was from hanging down. Finally her vision focused and she saw that she was hanging above the ground, suspended just like Andy had described. She looked around frantically and saw leather straps bound her wrists, waist and ankles. On the cement below her a symbol was drawn. It was a pentagram.

"It's about time you woke up," Prue said as she lit a fifth candle and placed it on the final point of the pentagram. "I was afraid I had knocked you around too much."

"Where…?" Piper asked. Just the simple act of moving her jaw to speak caused more pain to surge through her head.

"Man, I really did hit you too hard. You don't recognize your own basement?" Prue asked with a chuckle.

Piper looked around again and saw all the boxes storing holiday decorations, old clothes and other things. She hadn't noticed them at first. Why in their basement? Why would Prue stay here when the others were sure to come after her?

"So, have you figured it out yet? Is that brain of yours swirling with escape plans? Or are you still confused about where you are?" Prue said, tauntingly.

"Why the Manor?" Piper asked, ignoring the stabbing pains in her head.

"Nah. I'm not going to do the whole revealing of my master plan thing. Not yet anyway," she said. "I think you can figure that out for yourself."

The air next to Prue distorted temporarily as someone else shimmered into the basement. She looked up and pulled the demon into a passionate kiss before either of them could say anything. Piper watched them, disgusted. To think she had once idolized Prue. Now she was killing people and kissing demons.

While those two were engrossed in each other, Piper took a moment to examine the contraption she was tied to. It amazed her that Prue was able to get this set up during the short time that Piper was unconscious. The structure had her suspended above the concrete basement floor at a 45-degree angle. It was a wooden frame circle with two boards crossing each other and spanning the diameter of the circle. It was as wide in diameter as Piper was tall and it was suspended from various support beams along the ceiling. It was like the thing was made specifically for her.

"Don't bother thinking about an escape," the male demon said. "There isn't one."

Piper glared at him with contempt. "And who are you?"

"Belthazor," he said with a grin. "Pleasure to kill you."

* * *

><p>Leo, Andy, and Phoebe returned to the front lawn of the Manor to find Sam, Patty and Paige in discussion about various spells. They had found a pen and some napkins in Piper's Jeep. Several napkins were crumpled up and tossed away. Others with writing on them were stacked neatly next to Patty. The three of them looked up, ready to hear what had been discovered about the murders.<p>

"You're not going to believe this," Phoebe said. She knelt on the grass next to them and unfolded a map she was holding. When she finished unfolding it they saw that it was a map of San Francisco. But what drew gasps from Patty and Paige was the pentagram drawn on the map.

"What's this?" Paige asked.

"The points of the pentagram are the locations of the five murders that occurred last night," Andy explained.

"But look at the center of it," Leo said, pointing at the map. They all turned back and squinted at the small lettering.

"What street is that?" Sam asked, not able to make it out.

"Prescott," Patty read. She looked at Phoebe in surprise.

"The center of the pentagram is our house," she said.

"The nexus," Patty said. Paige's eyes widened, remembering what Grams had told them of the spiritual nexus that the house rested on.

"Nexus?" Andy asked.

"Our house is built on the site of a spiritual nexus," Patty began to explain. "It's equidistant from the five spiritual elements. Earth, fire, wood, water and metal."

"The locations of the murders?" Sam questioned, looking back at the map.

"Exactly," Phoebe answered.

"So whatever Prue's doing has to do with that nexus," Paige said. "And something tells me she picked Piper for a reason."

"Piper's the most powerful Warren witch remaining," Patty said. "Her blood would be best for whatever this ritual is going to do."

"So, there's the important question," Andy said. "What's the ritual doing and how do we stop it?"

* * *

><p>"Belthazor?" Piper asked. She stared at him. Her vision was starting to blur again from the pain in her head. "Belthazor is the demon who took Prue from us over 20 years ago. I've seen pictures of him in the Book of Shadows. You look nothing like him."<p>

Belthazor looked down at himself and smiled sheepishly. "Oh, sorry. You're thinking of this, aren't you?" Then he morphed into a large demon with red and black skin. He growled and reached forward, wrapping his large clawed hand around her throat. Then he released his grip and morphed back into his human form.

"Belthazor is my demon half," he said. "But she seems to like the appearance of my human half better."

"Your human half?" Piper asked.

"Yeah. I had a mortal father. Makes it easier to blend into the world while I'm looking for witches to kill," he said.

"Why did you take Prue? Why didn't you just kill her?"

"He saw my potential," Prue said. "Why kill the most powerful witch around when you can get her on your side?"

"Why, Prue? Why didn't you fight? Why did you give in?" Piper asked finally. "The Prue I knew would've died before hurting anyone."

"That's exactly right, sweetheart," Prue said with a smile. She pulled the athame from her belt and pressed the tip under Piper's chin firmly, but not hard enough to draw blood. "The Prue you knew _is _dead."

**October 24, 1977**

Prue sat in the dark cave with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. She rested her chin on her knees and just wished that she could get out of here. She had tried using telekinesis on the demon that had taken her, but it didn't work. He seemed immune to her powers. Or maybe she just wasn't strong enough. She was only six. Well, almost six. Her sixth birthday would be in four days. She made her birthday wish early, wishing for her family to come save her.

She looked up when she heard someone coming. It was the demon that took her. Except he was in his human form now. That was something that confused her. Her mom had told her about lots of demons, but she had never mentioned demons that had human halves. This one did. He told her about his human half and she wished that the human half would take over instead of the demon so he could take her home.

He set a tin plate in front of her along with a bowl of water. There was a piece of bread and some meat on the plate. Surprisingly enough, the meat was cooked. She just glared up at him.

"Don't pull the hunger strike thing again, kid," he said. "You know it won't work. Eat it."

"I hate you," she said angrily.

"Fair enough," he said, shrugging the comment off. "You can hate me while you eat."

"My mommy and my Grams are going to save me and vanquish you."

He just laughed. "If they were going to do that, don't you think they'd have done it by now?"

"It hasn't been that long," she said. "They're just looking in the Book of Shadows for a spell."

"There's no spell to vanquish me," he said, still chuckling. "And it's been two weeks since I brought you down here. At least, in their time it has. Time moves slower down here, kid. For us, it's a day. For them, it's a week."

"You're lying. They'll come for me," she said defiantly.

"They've given up on you. They think you're dead," he said. "They're mourning you instead of searching for you. They don't think you're powerful enough to survive. You're just a child. Their poor, dead child. Face it, kid. I'm all you've got left."

Prue stared up at him, a few tears welling in her eyes. They just stared at each other for several minutes. Finally she said, "Stop calling me kid. My name is Prue."

"Fair enough, Prue. So what'll it be?" he asked.

She didn't say anything. Finally she reached forward and grabbed the piece of bread. Belthazor watched with a triumphant grin.

**Present Day**

Belthazor stood in front of Piper and just looked at her for a while. Then he took the athame and moved forward. She winced when he moved the blade toward her, but he didn't cut her. Instead he used the athame to carefully cut the buttons off her shirt until it fell open revealing the black bra she was wearing underneath.

"You know, Prue, I've been thinking," he said. "It would be such a waste to just bleed her and be done with it. After all, she's supposed to be the most powerful good witch in the world, right?"

"Yep," Prue answered with a smirk.

"Not to mention the history you two have got…all four years of it," he continued. "We should have a little fun with her, don't you think?"

"I agree. What do you think?" she asked Piper with a smirk. She just glared back at Prue with contempt. She was starting to think it was true. The Prue she had known was dead. There was no way to bring her back after 24 years. How many innocents had she killed during that time? It was hard to know, but no doubt it was a lot.

Belthazor picked up one of the candles and suddenly brought the flame up against Piper's neck, causing her to cry out in pain and surprise as she was burned.

"She asked you a question!" he growled. He held the flame against Piper's skin for over a minute as she bit her lip, trying to keep from screaming. Tears streamed from her eyes. Finally he pulled the candle away and stared at her. Piper remained silent for a moment, closing her eyes and trying to collect herself. Then she looked up at them with defiance.

"I _think_ you're both going to wish you were vanquished when my family gets a hold of you," she spat out at them.

Prue grabbed one of the other candles. She walked over and the two demons held their candles up to Piper's arms quickly. This time Piper was unable to contain her scream.

* * *

><p>The group outside heard the scream and Andy started to rush to the house again, but Paige jumped in front of him and held him back.<p>

"No, Andy. You remember what happened last time you tried that," she said. He grunted and stepped away, beginning to pace anxiously on the lawn.

"We've gotta do something!" he said, deeply worried about his fiancé. "She's going to kill her!"

"We will do something," Patty assured him. "Once we figure out how to get past this damned barrier, we will."

"We're trying Andy, believe me," Phoebe said.

"Piper's strong. She'll fight Prue every chance she gets," Sam added.

"How can she possibly fight if she's tied to some contraption bleeding to death?" Andy asked. "What can she do? Her powers work through her hands."

"I think I've actually got an idea about something Piper could do," Paige said, suddenly having an idea. "I've been thinking about a spell to get Prue back on our side. It would involve bringing out repressed memories of her childhood before she was taken. But a spell like this might need to be said in the same room."

"Well, how are you going to tell Piper the spell if you can't get to her?" Leo asked, confused.

"Telepathy," Paige said, making it sound like it was something she did every day.

"Um, that's good in theory, but none of us have that ability," Phoebe said.

"But you have the closest thing to it," Paige said. "You would be the best candidate for it."

"That still begs the question of how?" Leo asked.

"I've got a spell for that, too. I think," Paige replied. "I'm hoping telepathy will get through this barrier even though we can't."

"Okay then," Phoebe said. "Let's hear these spells."

* * *

><p>Her entire body trembled from the pain. Burns marked all along her arms, neck, chest, and abdomen. Belthazor had removed her shirt and used it on a makeshift torch to hold against her stomach when he felt like doing so. But they were taking a break now. They didn't want her to pass out from the pain. They busied themselves in heavy make out sessions during their breaks and Piper wanted to vomit.<p>

"Piper, it's Phoebe. Don't say anything. Just listen."

Phoebe's voice invaded her mind and she instinctively looked around the room for her.

"I'm not in the Manor. I'm outside the Manor with everyone else. We're going to get you out of there, but there's a magical field keeping us out. There's something you can do to get Prue back on our side."

Piper stared at Prue and Belthazor, hoping they would continue their break long enough.

"Paige came up with a spell that will uncover some of Prue's repressed childhood memories. But you need to say it. Just repeat this spell."

Piper took a deep breath and began repeating what Phoebe told her.

"Shadows of the past revealed. Memories blocked are now unsealed…"

Prue and Belthazor separated and looked up at her. Quickly Prue stood and grabbed the athame.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked as she approached Piper.

"Bring forward what evil hides. Bring her back to good's side."

Prue grabbed Piper's wrist and brought the athame back to stab Piper in the hand, but she faltered and staggered backward, dropping the athame and grabbing her head.

"_Mommy! Mommy! Look what I made!" four-year-old Prue cried._

She shook her head and then glared at Piper. But her gaze broke as her mind was invaded again.

"_Oh what's that Prue?" Patty asked as she took a look at what Prue held._

"_It's a picture of you and daddy and Grams and me and Piper!"_

"What's wrong?" Belthazor asked, putting a hand on Prue's shoulder. She shook it off and spun away from him. She looked at him like she had never met him before. He immediately grabbed the athame off the floor, walked over to Piper, and wrapped his left hand around her neck. "What the hell did you do to her?"

Piper said nothing. She simply summoned up the most sardonic smirk she could. He growled, morphed into his demon form, and quickly finished what Prue was going to do. Piper screamed as he embedded the blade all the way through her hand and into the wood behind it. He began turning the blade and her screams continued. Finally he released his grip on the hilt of the dagger and turned back to Prue, leaving Piper to try to recover from the shock. He morphed back to his human form.

"Prue, what's going on?" he asked. His words echoed in her head as she closed her eyes to try to shut out whatever was invading her mind.

_"It's beautiful sweetie," Patty said. "Let's go show your Grams and then put it on the refrigerator!"_

"Stop it!" she cried out suddenly, causing Belthazor to even jump in surprise. Prue looked up at Piper and yanked the knife out of her hand, causing another cry of pain from the tortured witch. "What did you do to me?" Piper said nothing. She couldn't get her voice to say anything. "Fine. No more games. We start the ritual now!"

* * *

><p>The others heard Piper's screams outside. Andy sighed in disappointment.<p>

"It didn't work."

"Not necessarily," Paige said. "It might take a little while for the repressed memories to really get through to Prue."

"In the meantime, she continues killing Piper?" Andy asked.

"Not if we can help it," Patty said. She held up one of the napkins with writing on it. "I think this may be the spell we need to get in there."

* * *

><p>Piper nearly drew blood as she bit her lip to keep from screaming. Prue was carefully carving symbols in her chest and abdomen. Slowly Piper's blood dripped down onto the cement below her. The pentagram was starting to glow. When Prue finished carving, she stepped away and smiled.<p>

"Now, all we have to do is wait," she said.

"So…when are you going to tell me…what this does?" Piper asked, her voice wavering as she watched her own blood spread on the floor. "Obviously the Manor is an important part of it or we wouldn't be here."

"You're right about that. You know what people say. Location, location, location," Prue joked. "I'm assuming you remember that this house sits on the site of a very powerful spiritual nexus. Well, I'm tapping into that power to steal yours and claim this nexus for evil. Can you imagine where that'll take me…" She stopped and glanced at Belthazor. "…us on the evil ladder? We'll out-rank the Source. The great Power of Three will become ours when this ritual is over."

"Surely my blood isn't the only key to it," Piper said. She could feel herself getting weaker by the moment. She needed to think of a way to get more of Prue's memories to surface.

"There's a chant we'll have to do in a little bit, but not to worry," Prue said. "We'll do everything right. You just keep bleeding."

Piper smirked slightly as she got an idea. "Remember how I used to be terrified of blood? That one time I cut my knee when we were playing outside and you had to lead me back into the house with my eyes closed because I was afraid I would see the blood on my knee?"

_"You're such a baby," Prue said as she took her little sister by the hand and led her back to the Manor._

"Shut up," Prue said. Her face had taken on an expression of discomfort as she obviously was starting to remember that.

"And then there's the time I threw my musical stuffed lamb at you and the wind up for the music box cut your forehead open," Piper continued. "Remember that? I screamed and ran to mom."

_"Piper, what's wrong?" Patty asked as three-year-old Piper led her back to the parlor where Prue sat, crying._

"Stop it," Prue said. She backed up and turned away from Piper.

"We were both crying like little babies," Piper said. "Mom cleaned you up and showed us that the cut wasn't as bad as it looked. Remember?"

_"See, it's nothing," Patty said. She pointed in the mirror to show both Prue and Piper. She had cleaned all the blood away and the cut was barely an inch long._

"What are you trying to do?" Belthazor asked. He stepped forward but realized that the pentagram could not be broken. If he stepped inside it would interrupt the ritual. So he turned to Prue. "Don't listen to her! She's trying to make you turn on your true nature."

"This isn't her true nature," Piper said. She could feel herself fading. She had lost so much blood already. She wasn't sure how much longer she could stay conscious. "Come on, Prue. You remember who you really were. Who you were meant to be. This isn't you, it's him and some hold he has over you."

"No!" Prue shouted. She put her hands over her ears and clamped her eyes shut.

"How about my fourth birthday? Do you remember that?" Piper asked. "It was six months before this bastard took you away from us."

"Shut up!" Belthazor shouted at her angrily. He changed into his demon form and was ready to compromise the ritual. He formed an energy ball in his hand. "I'm warning you."

"Remember, you asked me what I wished for and I told you I couldn't tell. It wouldn't come true," Piper said. "Well, it didn't come true. Or at least it hasn't yet."

"_What'd you wish for?" _

_"I can't tell. It won't come true."_

"No," Prue said, still holding her eyes shut.

"My wish was for you to always be there for me," Piper confessed. "I idolized you Prue. What happened to the big sister that I idolized?"

"Enough!" Belthazor shouted. He released the energy ball and broke the chains holding Piper and the wooden frame. Piper landed face down in her own blood with the heavy wooden frame pinning her down. The glowing of the pentagram stopped. Everything was becoming blurry for her. Sounds were echoing in her head like she was underwater. As her world faded to black she thought she heard Belthazor scream.

* * *

><p>Paige, Patty, and Phoebe had just finished saying the spell that they hoped would break the force field around the Manor. They all stood there, unsure if it had worked. Andy stepped forward and picked up a large rock from the garden.<p>

"Only one way to find out, I guess," he said. He hurled the rock at a window. But instead of crashing through the glass, a red glow flashed around the house and the rock bounced back toward Andy. He ducked out of the way and turned to the others, who were confused and disappointed.

"That should've worked," Patty said. "I don't see why it didn't."

"Maybe there's a delay," Paige said. She walked up the porch steps and started to slowly reach for the doorknob wondering if she would be thrown back into the front yard like Andy had earlier.

* * *

><p>Belthazor turned to Prue who was still looking pale and frightened. He approached her and she backed away.<p>

_"They've given up on you. They think you're dead."_

Prue realized she was the one who gave up. She was weak. Then. But now she had the power. She had more power than Belthazor could ever dream of.

_"They don't think you're powerful enough to survive."_

Prue turned toward Belthazor and offered up a steely gaze. She gripped the athame tightly in her right hand and looked over at Piper. She was unconscious, pinned under the wooden frame, and lying in her own blood. Prue looked back at Belthazor and with one quick motion, flung the athame at him. The blade buried itself deep in his chest and he staggered backward. Flames started appearing around the hilt of the athame and then started spreading all over his body. He howled in rage and pain as the flames engulfed his entire body and then he disappeared. The athame clattered to the floor.

Prue ran her hands through her hair and just held them there on the side of her head. She didn't know what to do. As she surveyed the basement, she didn't know where to go from here. The ritual had been stopped. Belthazor was dead. Piper was dying. Finally she made a decision. She retrieved the athame, walked over to Piper, and cut the leather straps from the wooden frame. Then she telekinetically flung the frame off of Piper and across the basement. She stared at the bleeding and battered witch for a moment.

"Descantade," she said finally. A red glow spread across the walls for an instant and then disappeared. Then she shimmered out of the Manor.

Paige gripped the doorknob, turned it and pushed the door open. The others were shocked, but then they all walked up the porch steps and made their way into the Manor. They attempted to be as quiet as they could.

"Where would they be?" Andy asked in a whisper.

"Basement," Leo, Paige, and Sam said at the same time. They had sensed Piper the instant they walked into the house.

"Prue's not there. Nobody's there," Paige said. "Well, except Piper."

"The spell must have worked," Phoebe said. Sam and Leo didn't waste any time. Leo orbed down to the basement alone to check on Piper. Sam orbed down with Phoebe and Patty while Paige orbed down with Andy.

"Oh my god!" Phoebe cried out when she saw Piper's condition. Leo had turned her over onto her back and already started healing her.

"Piper," Andy said. He started to move forward, but Paige held him back.

"Give Leo some room," she said.

"She's going to be okay," he said. "But this is going to take a while."

Andy knelt next to Leo and rested his hand on Piper's forehead. When he had seen all that blood it felt like his heart had been ripped out. He was just glad they were able to get into the Manor before it was too late.

The others surveyed the area, wondering what exactly went on in this basement. Paige noticed the now broken wooden frame in the far corner.

"I wonder how that got broken," she said.

"Where did Prue go? If she wasn't vanquished, where is she?" Phoebe asked.

"Maybe the memory spell worked," Patty said. "Maybe Piper got to Prue and the memories got her to let Piper go. The ritual obviously didn't happen."

"There's a scorch mark over here," Sam said. He was standing near the spot where Belthazor had last stood. "Maybe Prue was vanquished. Maybe the spell didn't work and Piper came up with one to vanquish Prue on her own."

"Mmm…" Piper groaned. Leo had healed her major injuries and was now working on the burns on her arms and the stab wound on her hand. "I didn't vanquish Prue."

The others turned to her, ready to hear about everything that happened while they were stuck outside. Leo finished healing her last wound and she started to sit up. Leo stood and moved over beside Phoebe while Andy reached forward to help Piper.

"Take it easy, honey," he said. "You've been through a lot."

The two of them stood and Andy gave her his coat to put on. She wrapped it around herself and then he wrapped his arms around her.

"I don't think I've been that scared since the day we met," he said. "I heard you screaming and I couldn't do anything."

"I'm okay, though," she said. She leaned back against him and looked to the others, who were also showing signs of further concern. "I promise. I'm okay. The spell worked. I got through to her. I think that scorch mark is actually Belthazor."

"You vanquished Belthazor?" Paige asked in confusion and surprise. Piper laughed.

"No. I didn't vanquish anybody," she replied. "I think Prue vanquished Belthazor."

"So all this time they were working together?" Phoebe asked. "He must have raised her."

"That's pretty much what I'm guessing," Piper said. "I was unconscious when Prue left though. So I'm not really sure what happened after she vanquished him."

"She must have been the one to drop the barrier around the house," Leo said. "She was letting us in to help Piper."

They all stood in silence, not really sure what to do next. They were all alive. They had averted losing their powers. Belthazor was vanquished. What came next was anybody's guess.

**November 2, 1975**

Piper and Prue both hurried into the bedroom, excited to see their new baby sister.

"Girls, careful," Grams said. "You don't want to scare her."

For once the two of them heeded their grandmother's warning and slowed down. They approached the bed and craned their necks to see. Grams picked Piper up and set her on the end of the bed by Patty's feet while Prue climbed up on her own. The two of them crawled up to the head of the bed and flanked their mother to see the new addition to the family.

"Girls, I'd like you to meet your little sister, Phoebe," Patty said. She held the newborn low enough so they could see her.

"Fifi?" Piper asked. Her pronunciation, at the age of two, was not the greatest.

"Not Fifi, goofy," Prue said. "It's FEE-BEE. It rhymes."

"That's right, Prue. It does," Patty said with a smile.

"Fee…bee," Piper said cautiously. Then excitedly. "Phoebe!"

"Right, honey," Patty encouraged Piper.

"Can I help take care of her?" Prue asked.

"Sure you can," Grams said, enjoying that Prue would want to take that responsibility. As the eldest Charmed One it was nothing less than what she expected.

"Me too," Piper said, just wanting to be included.

"Yes, you too," Patty said. She looked at all three of her girls. "You'll take care of each other."

**Present Day**

_Hold on to me love  
>You know I can't stay long<em>  
><em>All I wanted to say was I love you and I'm not afraid<br>Can you hear me?  
>Can you feel me in your arms?<em>

The haunting sounds of the new hit band Evanescence filled P3. The band became a hit _after_ Piper had booked them for the club, as luck would have it. The first week, ticket sales were light, most of them going to Evanescence's existing fans. But then "Bring Me To Life" hit the Billboard charts and people were coming from different states to see them. The club was packed.

The sisters were sitting in the booth with their respective guys—Piper with Andy, Phoebe with Leo, and Paige with her boyfriend and best friend, Glen. Their on and off relationship was something that baffled the rest of the family, considering the two of them were still friends when they weren't dating. They defied all the relationship rules.

"So let me get this straight," Glen said, confused about the Prue situation, which the others had tried to explain to him. "Prue's out there and you guys aren't trying to find her? I thought you said she was evil and had killed a bunch of people. And she tortured you, Piper."

"I got through to her. I don't think she's going to hurt anyone," Piper said. "But with old memories flooding her mind, it might be best for us to keep our distance for a little while."

"Unless she comes to us," Phoebe said.

"We're letting her make the next move," Paige finished.

"I'm still not sure I understand," Glen said.

"Don't worry. You're not the only one," Andy said, offering Glen a sympathetic smile that said, 'Us mortals need to stick together.' "After what she did to Piper…"

"How many times do I have to tell you…?" Piper began.

"You're okay," Andy finished. "Right, you keep saying that. But you almost weren't okay. Can I help it if I have a hard time dealing with you almost dying all the time?"

"Hey guys, look," Leo said, pointing toward the bar. They all looked over at the same time and all were shocked to see her sitting there. Prue blended in with the crowd well in her black leather skirt, black sleeveless halter top, and knee high boots. She appeared to just be there to enjoy the band. A bottle of beer stood on the bar in front of her. No one was speaking to her.

"Speak of the…" Paige began. But she stopped herself from saying a too appropriate cliché. "…Prue."

Nobody else said anything for a moment. They just stared at her. Finally, Glen spoke up.

"So, what are you going to do?" he asked. Paige shrugged her shoulders.

"We should keep an eye on her I guess," she said. "We have no idea why she's here."

"She could be looking for a kill," Andy said.

"She could be looking for us," Piper countered.

"Or she could just be here for the band," Phoebe suggested. The song ended and the crowd erupted in cheers. They began an extended intro for their next song and the crowd exploded again when they recognized the opening of the band's most popular song. Phoebe stood. "I'm going to talk to her."

Leo grabbed her hand. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I'm not saying she isn't impulsive enough to attack me in the middle of a crowd," Phoebe said, agreeing with what everyone was thinking. "But I have a feeling that she won't."

"You're going on a feeling?" Glen asked.

Phoebe, Paige, and Piper all shot knowing smiles at each other when Phoebe replied, "We always do."

_How can you see into my eyes  
>Like open doors?<br>Leading you down into my core  
>Where I've become so numb<br>Without a soul  
>My spirit sleeping somewhere cold<br>Until you find it there and lead it back home  
>Wake me up inside<br>Wake me up inside  
>Call my name and save me from the dark<br>Bid my blood to run  
>Before I come undone<br>Save me from the nothing I've become_

Prue almost growled when she saw Phoebe come up to the bar next to her. Granted, coming to a nightclub owned by her good witch sisters wasn't exactly the best way to avoid them, but she had hoped they wouldn't see her. No hope in that anymore. She watched Phoebe signal the bartender.

"Hey Nick," she said with a smile. "Can you get me a vodka and cranberry juice? Thanks."

Prue continued ignoring Phoebe, and Phoebe pretended to not notice Prue for a while as she thought of a way to open the conversation. Finally she braved it.

"You aren't very stealthy, are you?" she asked, shooting from the hip.

Prue glanced at her and then went back to staring at the label on her beer. "I am when I want to be."

"So you wanted us to see you?" Phoebe asked.

Prue laughed as if the suggestion was absurd. But in all honesty, she wasn't really sure. Did she want them to see her? Why had she come to this particular nightclub? She knew they owned it. The memories still invaded her mind. The spell Piper had cast opened a flood gate. Was she looking for help? Was she turning against everything Belthazor had raised her to be?

_Now that I know what I'm without  
>You can't just leave me<br>Breathe into me and make me real  
>Bring me to life<br>Wake me up inside  
>Wake me up inside<br>Call my name and save me from the dark  
>Bid my blood to run<br>Before I come undone  
>Save me from the nothing I've become<br>Bring me to life_

"Why are you here?" Phoebe asked. "Something inside you wanted us to see you and approach you. Otherwise you wouldn't have come to a club that Piper owns."

Prue exhaled and started thinking aloud. Sort of talking to Phoebe, sort of not. "I'm well-known in the Underworld. Respected. I can't turn my back on that."

"Can't you?" Phoebe asked.

"Even if I wanted to, no. I've ki—" She stopped mid-sentence when the bartender returned with Phoebe's drink and then walked away. Prue lowered her voice slightly. Just enough to be heard over the band. "I've killed more people than you know. You three seem to think you say a spell and, poof, I'm good again." She shook her head. "It's not that simple."

"Of course it's not," Phoebe said. "You've spent twenty four years of your life doing everything we stand against. We don't expect you to be a white knight right away."

_Frozen inside  
>Without your touch<br>Without your love  
>Darling only you<br>Are the life  
>Among the dead<br>All this time I can't believe I couldn't see  
>Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me<br>I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems  
>Got to open my eyes to everything<br>Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul  
>Don't let me die here<br>There must be something more  
>Bring me to life<em>

"If you don't expect that, what do you expect?" Prue asked.

Phoebe waited for Prue to make eye contact and looked into those intense gray blue eyes. She was there. The good in Prue was there. It just had to work to the surface.

"Redemption," Phoebe said simply. She turned to Nick, got his attention and then pointed at Prue. "Her next one's on the house."

Prue just sat there, letting the word settle in her head. It had occurred to her, but she had dismissed it. That word was something virtually alien to the evil world. It took nothing short of a gypsy curse to get an evil being on the path to redemption. Or a witch's spell.

Phoebe took her drink and turned away. Before she left she said, "You know where to find us."

She walked away from Prue and left her thinking about that word. Redemption.

_Wake me up inside  
>Wake me up inside<br>Call my name and save me from the dark  
>Bid my blood to run<br>Before I come undone  
>Save me from the nothing I've become<br>I've been living a lie  
>There's nothing inside<em>  
><em>Bring me to life<em>


	2. Only She Knows

**Only She Knows**

Heart pounding. Gasping for breath. He ran down the alley as fast as his legs would take him. But it wasn't fast enough. He could see his attacker coming closer. He was about to round a corner when something exploded at his feet and sent him tumbling into the brick wall of a building. The dark figure loomed over him holding a dagger in his right hand.

"Please. Don't," he begged, holding his hands up defensively.

The figure was about to bring the dagger down when he flew backwards and hit the opposite wall. His dagger cluttered to the ground and someone reached to pick it up. The raven haired woman tucked the knife into her belt and smiled at the dark man.

"This isn't a witch, Borias," she said. "Rumor has it you don't even have the power to sense witches anymore. You're just killing at random."

"The rumors about me are highly exaggerated," he said as he stood and brushed himself off. He smiled. "The rumors about you, however, appear to be true. Are you saving innocents now?"

"Do I smell like a witch to you?" she asked sharply. Then with one quick motion the dagger flew out of her belt and was embedded hilt deep in Borias's chest. He looked up at her in shock and then disappeared in a bright flash of light.

She turned back to the man Borias had been chasing. He was still cowering on the ground, frightened by what he had just witnessed and worried that Prue would do the same to him.

"Get up," she said. "He didn't hurt you. Get up."

The man slowly obeyed, not wanting to incur her wrath. "What do you people want from me?"

"'You people'? I'm not going to hurt you," she said. "He wanted to hurt you. But he can't do that now. Can't do much of anything really."

"Not just him," the man said. He was still afraid of her. "There's others. Two guys last week. One the week before. What do you want from me?"

Prue's scowl turned into a pensive expression as she thought about this information. So Borias wasn't attacking at random. He was just one of many. Evil wanted this man dead. Prue knew she could find out why, but dragging the victim with her was out of the question. He needed protection. And she knew just where to find it.

"Take my hand," she said, holding out her right hand to him. He just stared it. The last thing he wanted to do was take her hand. She sighed, rolled her eyes and grabbed his shirt. Then she shimmered with him out of the alley.

* * *

><p>"So I say to Glen that I think we should take a vacation alone," Paige said. Her sisters, mother and all the guys were gathered in the parlor with her as she told her story. "And he says, 'Sure, that's a great idea. Where do you want to go for our honeymoon?'"<p>

The women gasped and the guys chuckled. Piper smacked Andy on the arm. "See! That's how you propose."

"What?" Andy asked, playing innocent. Glen was the only one out of the loop.

"I don't get it. How did he propose to you?" he asked Piper.

"Well, I'm driving home from P3 after a very long night. I had just spent the night coddling the every whim of Natalie Merchant. Let me tell you, it was a good thing she brought in a good crowd. She's a tough one to work with," Piper explained. "But anyway, I'm tired. I'm driving home. I get pulled over a block away from the house. I figure maybe I've got a tail light out. Maybe I accidentally ran a red light. It's 2 am there's nobody on the road. The cop comes up to my door and pulls this big official voice, 'Miss would you get out of the car please?'"

Everyone else was laughing as Piper mimicked the officer. Glen was obviously still missing the joke.

"So I get out of the car and Robocop says that my car has been reported stolen and pulls out the handcuffs. I was about to freeze him and take off, but I knew that wouldn't be much help. He warns me about resisting arrest and reads me my rights. Here I am getting dragged into the police station at 2 in the morning. He leaves me in an interrogation room and here comes Andy."

Finally Andy decided to take over the story. "I asked her if the cop had given her the Miranda warning and all she would say to me was 'Get these damn cuffs off me!'" Everybody laughed. "I tell her I have to keep them on her and she's like 'It's my car. I didn't steal my own car.' So finally I tell her it's for my own safety and I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me."

"No way!" Glen said while everybody else laughed. "You had her arrested so you could propose to her?"

"Yep," Andy said with a smile. "I went for a less traditional method."

"Right. Less traditional," Piper said dryly. "I swear if I didn't love you so much I would've…"

She trailed off when she saw the distortion of air behind the sofa where Patty and Sam were sitting. That distortion quickly turned into Prue and a man that Piper didn't recognize. Prue was holding the man by the shirt.

"Prue," Piper said. Everyone turned toward Prue and stared in shock. No one could find their voice to speak.

Finally Phoebe managed to ask, "What are you doing here? And who's he?"

She let go of his shirt and shoved him so he stumbled a couple feet away from her. He just stood there, frightened and confused.

"He's an innocent. He needs your protection."

The man stood back against the wall and started inching his way toward where he thought the exit was.

"What do you want from me? I'll give you whatever you want," he said. Patty stood and approached him, trying to not seem threatening.

"We won't hurt you," she said. "We're here to help."

"What's going on?" he asked.

"My name's Patty," she said, ignoring his questions. They needed to get the introductions out of the way before they did anything else. And she thought if they all had names it would relax his fear. She started pointing around the room. "That's Piper and Andy. There's Paige, Phoebe, Leo and Glen. And that's Sam." Then she finally looked over to Prue. "That's Prue. What's your name?"

He just stared at her for a moment, but finally he said, "Mark. Mark Strickland."

"Okay, Mark. Why don't you go into the kitchen with Andy and Glen while the rest of us talk?" she said. Mark didn't seem too eager to do this. "I promise. You're safe here."

Andy gestured for Mark to follow him and the three of them headed toward the kitchen. Everyone else turned toward Prue.

"So what's the deal?" Paige asked. She stood and crossed her arms. "You're saving innocents now?"

Prue ignored the question. "I caught a warlock named Borias attacking that guy. And apparently Borias isn't the only one. That guy isn't a witch."

"So warlocks are attacking regular mortals now?" Leo asked, confused. "That doesn't make sense. All warlocks want is the power of witches. Mortals don't mean anything to them."

"Don't get me wrong," Prue said. "There's something special about that guy. And I'm going to find out what."

"Why? So you can get to him before the warlocks do?" Phoebe asked.

Prue glared at her. "Look just watch him. That's what you do right?"

"It's what we do," Paige said. "But since when is it something you do? Are we just protecting your score?"

"Ever since you people cast that spell on me, I don't know what I'm doing," Prue said defensively. Her eyes flared with anger. "All I know is that I'm concerned with what's right when I don't even know what the hell right is. So get off my back."

"Okay, let's all just calm down," Piper said. "There's an innocent to protect and this isn't getting us anywhere."

"Prue, you said the warlock's name was Borias," Patty said. "Is there anything special about this particular warlock? Anything at all?"

"Nothing I can think of off the top of my head," she replied, shooting cursory glances at Paige. "I'll have to ask around. Something about this Mark guy must be setting warlocks off."

"Leo and I will ask our charges in the San Francisco area," Sam said. "They might know something as well."

Leo and Sam orbed out as Paige looked to Phoebe and shrugged her shoulders. "Book of Shadows?" Phoebe nodded her head. The two of them left the room. Moments later, without saying another word, Prue shimmered out of the Manor. Patty and Piper looked at each other, puzzled.

"I guess we get to talk to Mark," Piper said. Patty nodded her head and they joined the guys in the kitchen.

Mark was sipping a cup of coffee and trying to calm down, but nothing was putting him at ease. He bounced his left leg up and down nervously while they talked.

"Before people started attacking you, did anything weird happen to you?" Andy asked. "Anything that seems unexplainable?"

He sucked in a breath and continued staring into the coffee mug while he spoke. "I'm an antiques dealer. I own a shop in Chinatown. I pretty much specialize in Asian antiques, but sometimes I'll come across other items that interest my customers. I got a shipment two weeks ago. There was this amulet. It didn't really appear special except that it had a central piece that turned." He paused and glanced at the four of them sitting around him. They were listening attentively, taking in every detail of his story to help explain what was going on. "So, obviously I turned it. Human nature, right?" He chuckled lightly and continued. "I turned it a full 360 degrees and there was this bright light. It was so bright I had to cover my eyes. And I must've passed out or something because next thing I know I'm waking up on the floor of my shop."

"What about the amulet? Do you still have it?" Piper asked, knowing that it definitely had something to do with their innocent's troubles. But he shook his head.

"It was gone. But there's this," he said. He put down the coffee mug, unbuttoned his top three buttons and pulled his shirt open. On his chest was an intricate marking, similar to a Celtic knot, about the size of a drink coaster. It reminded Piper and Patty of the triquetra on the Book of Shadows.

"That's not a tattoo, is it?" Glen said, knowing the answer before Mark said anything else.

"I didn't notice it until I took a shower that night," he said. "But it's exactly what the amulet looked like."

Piper was already retrieving a pad of paper and a pencil. Mark was about to button his shirt back up when she motioned for him to stop.

"Just a second. I wanna draw that," she said. Quickly she sketched it on the paper. "This is probably the key to finding out what everyone wants with you, Mark."

"I still don't understand," he said as he rebuttoned his shirt. "Who are you people? What do you have to do with all this?"

"We protect people," Patty said. "And right now we're protecting you."

The group moved out of the kitchen to join Phoebe and Paige in the attic, hoping the Book of Shadows would hold the answers they were looking for.

* * *

><p>Prue strode into the bar trying to exude the confidence she had always possessed, hoping that she could keep up the façade long enough to get the information she wanted. All eyes moved to the door when she entered. This particular establishment served mostly evil beings. Very few mortals ventured in. It was too dark and dangerous, and it was located in a very shady part of the city. Most of the mortals that entered this bar were evil in their own ways. Mostly warlocks visited here, and it was very rare to see the more powerful demons there. This was only the second time Prue had been there. It was well-noted by everyone.<p>

She moved toward the bar. There wasn't an open stool, so she quickly materialized a fire ball and hurled it at the warlock on the end. He disappeared with a scream and in a ball of flame, but nobody said anything. Once she was seated they all went back to what they had been doing before she entered.

"What'll it be?" the demon behind the bar asked. He had long, dirty hair and he was missing an eye. Prue could've sworn that he had winked at her with his good eye.

"Gin," she answered. Then she surveyed the room. Warlocks in general were loners when it came to killing innocents. They weren't known for working well with others. But they liked to talk. She had a pretty good idea who some of Borias's compatriots were, but at the moment she didn't see any of them here.

The bartender brought her drink and she sipped it. She slowly lost interest in her surveillance and became lost in her thoughts. The most prominent thought was, _What the hell am I doing?_ Confusion and doubt swirled around in her mind. How could she possibly think she could redeem herself?

"Prue Halliwell, as I live and breathe."

The voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked over her shoulder. She had to hide an expression of disgust when she saw him. He shoved the warlock next to Prue off his stool and sat next to her, motioning to the bartender.

"You don't breathe, Gabriel," she said, turning back to her gin. "Hell, actually you don't live either."

"It's an expression," the vampire said with a smirk. Then he turned to the bartender. "Whiskey." Back to Prue. "What brings a gorgeous creature like you to this rat hole?"

"Looking for rats," she commented. "What about you? You're pretty respectable as far as vampires go." He chuckled at that comment. "Any particular reason you're here?"

"You know the score, babe," he said. "Vampires are a notch below warlocks in the evil class system. Nowhere else to go. Plus you hear a lot of interesting things in this place. Demons gone soft, for instance." Prue looked up at him, not fully concealing her surprise or her guilt. "So it's true."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, turning back to her gin. He leaned closer to her and spoke in hushed tones.

"I think you do," he said. "I can smell the humanity on you. And it won't be long before everybody else smells it, too. How long do you think you can hang around in the Underworld before you're branded a traitor?"

Prue quickly grabbed him by the throat and shimmered with him out to the alley behind the bar. Then she quickly slammed him against the brick wall and held him there, squeezing his neck.

"You've got your ear to the ground and your nose in the air, do you?" Prue asked. He tried to speak, but she was restricting his vocal chords. "So tell me what you've heard about warlocks attacking mortals. One mortal in particular."

"What mortal?" he rasped.

"Mark something. I caught Borias attacking him," Prue said. She squeezed harder for a short moment. "I know you've heard something. So talk. What's so special about this guy?"

"The mark…" Gabriel struggled to speak. Prue loosened her grip on his neck. "The mark of Ramara."

Prue's grip loosened as she heard the words. It was a legend Belthazor had told her years ago. And she had always thought of it as that—a legend. She tightened her grip around Gabriel's neck and then flung him across the alley into the opposite wall. He slumped to the ground and rubbed his throat. Then he looked up at her with a cocky smile.

"Did you say the mark of Ramara?" she asked. He nodded his head. "That's just a legend."

"Sometimes legends come true," he said as he stood. "This seems to be one of them."

Prue stared at him, thinking about the implications of what this vampire was saying to her. Then she questioned him, "So why aren't you going after it? You know the big secret. The power that this would give you would bring your reputation out of the gutter."

"And risk having the whole demonic community on my tail? I don't think so."

"Coward. Typical vampire," Prue scoffed. He just shook his head.

"What good's the power if you're not around to use it?"

Prue used telekinesis to summon a piece of a broken crate into her hand. Then she shoved Gabriel against the wall and held the wood threateningly. "If you talk about anything that's happened tonight…"

He smiled, "What do you mean? Tell people about you protecting an innocent?" She shoved him again and positioned the wood against his heart.

"Say a word and you're dust," she said. "Got it?"

Gabriel knew Prue's threats weren't something to take lightly. He was more concerned about not getting staked than outing a reputable demon. He nodded his head. "Secret's safe." He pushed her away and crossed his heart for good measure.

"You're a real comedian," she said with a smirk. Then she tossed the makeshift stake away and shimmered out.

* * *

><p>Paige was flipping through the Book of Shadows with Phoebe looking over her shoulder. They weren't really getting anywhere because they weren't sure what to look for. Finally Paige stopped and turned to Phoebe.<p>

"Why are Piper and mom being so trusting of Prue?" she asked. "I mean, I'm not the only one who remembers that she's been evil for the past 24 years am I?"

"No, you're not," Phoebe said knowingly. "But it's different for Piper and mom. They knew Prue before she was evil. They know that there's something besides evil there. We don't have the memories they have."

"But still, it's like the time in between then doesn't matter to them," Paige argued. "How do we know that Prue isn't having us protect this innocent while she wipes out the competition?"

"We don't," Phoebe replied honestly. She put her arm around Paige's shoulders. "Truthfully, I have a lot of the same doubts you have. I don't trust her. I don't know if I ever will. But mom and Piper trust her, and I trust them. So how about you and I be the doubtful ones while they trust her? We'll give this a shot. If Prue truly is never going to be back on our side, mom and Piper will realize it. And you and I will be ready for that."

"Okay, I guess," Paige said. She started flipping through the Book of Shadows again. "Now what the hell are we looking for?"

"This," Piper said as she led the others into the attic. She held up the sketch she had drawn of the mark from Mark's chest.

"What is it?" Paige asked.

"It's an amulet that Mark received in a shipment at his store," Piper said.

"Or at least it used to be an amulet," Andy said. "Now it's tattooed on his chest."

"What?" Phoebe asked in surprise.

"He pretty much said it," Mark said. "I found the amulet, turned part of it and next thing I know, I'm waking up with it on my chest."

"So it's our job to figure out what this amulet is for," Piper said. "Good place to start would be finding out what it's called."

"Let me see that," Phoebe said, reaching forward. Piper handed over the paper to her. As she pretty much expected, she was instantly hit with a premonition. But she hadn't expected what she saw. The images she saw terrified her and disappointed her. When she came out of it she didn't know what to say to all the expectant faces. She motioned Piper and Patty over to her and Paige and spoke in a whisper. "I just had a premonition. I saw Prue killing Mark."

The others looked over at Mark. Andy and Glen had a pretty good idea why the sisters and their mother had suddenly huddled. But Mark was clueless.

"That's not possible," Piper said. Paige and Phoebe looked at her, confused.

"How is it not possible?" Paige asked. "She's killed before."

"Yeah, but she brought this guy to us for protection," Piper said. "Why would she turn around and kill him?"

"The answer is in that mark," Phoebe said. "In my premonition Prue was kneeling over Mark and the thing on his chest was glowing. Then the light blasted into Prue. I don't know what it was, but I know Mark was dead."

"All right, if something's going to happen involving Prue and Mark, I think we've gotta get Andy and Glen out of here," Patty said. "For their own safety."

At almost the same time bluish-white lights and the air displacement that signaled Prue's entrance appeared in the attic. Paige and Phoebe were instantly nervous about Prue's presence. Mark looked afraid of everyone there.

"Our charges have noticed a decline in warlock attacks," Sam said.

"One of my charges said that it was like evil had gone on vacation," Leo added.

"Not likely," Prue said. "All the warlocks are focused on getting what Mark has."

"And what's that?" Mark asked.

"The mark of Ramara," Prue stated simply, as if everyone was supposed to know what that was. None of them did. She sighed in frustration. "It's something that has been thought to be legend, until now. What did you do when you found it?"

"I turned part of it," he said.

"You activated it," Prue said. "Now every warlock in existence is going to be coming after you to get it."

"What is this mark? What does it do?" Patty asked.

"Centuries ago," Prue began, her voice taking on a storyteller quality, "there was a warlock named Ramara. He was extremely powerful and bore a mark on his chest." She noticed the sketch in Piper's hand and took it. "This mark. It was said to be his power center. No one could defeat him. He killed thousands of witches and mortals alike. Finally the Source feared that his position as the head of the Underworld was slipping away. He sent legions of demons to attack Ramara. Ramara knew they were coming and started to say an ancient curse against them. He vanquished nearly all of the Source's army. But doing this took too much power and caused his power center to overload. This overload caused Ramara to disappear into oblivion, leaving only his mark behind."

"So why didn't the Source claim Ramara's power as his own?" Piper asked. "Why has it been dormant for all this time."

"According to the legend, a powerful good witch—possibly from the Warren line, but there's no confirmation on that—found the mark, knew of its power and decided to banish it, in fear that too much power on either side could be dangerous.," Prue explained. She turned to mark. "Where did you get it?"

"I have a friend who's an archeologist. He found it on an excavation and I got it from him," Mark said. "But I still don't understand. All this stuff you're talking about—witches, warlocks, curses—how can it possibly exist? And if all of this power is in me now, how come I don't feel any different?"

Suddenly Prue hurled a fire ball at Mark. Piper quickly froze both Mark and the fire ball. Everyone stared at Prue in shock.

"Let it go," Prue said, glaring at Piper. "This is a demonstration."

"A demonstration of what?" Paige asked. "You killing an innocent?"

"No. It's a demonstration of Ramara's power," Prue said, an annoyed hiss in her voice. "If I'm right, your innocent will be fine."

Piper looked at the others. Paige was obviously against the idea. Phoebe and Patty both looked torn.

"She could be lying," Paige said.

"Mark would've been dead a long time ago if I was," Prue said. "Let it go."

Reluctantly, Piper released her freeze and the fire ball continued on its course. Mark was thrown off his feet but the fire ball quickly deflected back towards Prue. She ducked before it could hit her, allowing it to hit the attic wall behind her, leaving a scorch mark. Andy and Glen helped Mark to his feet. He appeared unharmed.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, jerking his arms away from Andy and Glen. He moved away from everyone else to the other side of the attic.

"That was something that should have killed you," Prue said.

"I thought you people were supposed to be protecting me!" he shouted. "Instead you're letting her try to kill me."

"She wasn't trying to kill you," Patty said. "She was demonstrating the power of the mark."

"Looks like you're safe from magical attacks, thanks to the power of Ramara," Phoebe said.

"So how would warlocks be able to get it away from him, even if they tried," Leo asked.

"A dagger in the center of the mark," Prue said quietly. The others waited for her to explain. "When I caught Borias attacking him, Borias was about to stab him in the heart with a dagger."

"Odds are the dagger will release the power from the current vessel until it's accepted by a new one," Piper said.

"Either that or the power just disappears," Patty added. "With no vessel, it would have no place to go."

"Once a warlock gets a hold of that power it'll just be a never-ending cycle of more warlocks trying to get the power," Paige said.

"This could cause a civil war in the Underworld," Prue continued. "It might lead to the Source once again calling out his legions to destroy the bearer of the mark. Only this time the Source might actually claim the power for himself."

"We need to figure out how to get this power out of Mark and banished," Paige said. "Whoever that witch was who banished it originally, she had the right idea."

"Sam and Leo, you should take Mark downstairs," Patty said. "Andy and Glen, you should leave."

The two of them started to protest, but Piper held up her hand to stop them. "This place could turn into a war zone," she said. "We don't want you getting hurt."

Andy walked forward and wrapped his arms around Piper, she momentarily rested her head against his chest. "I don't want you getting hurt." He glanced over at Prue in time to notice her rolling her eyes.

Glen went over to Paige and gave her a kiss. "No dying before we get married, okay?"

"Promise," Paige said. She hugged Glen quickly and then Andy and Glen left the attic. Leo and Sam motioned for Mark to follow them downstairs. This left the five women alone to come up with a plan. Paige was still shooting glares at Prue.

"Well, if it was a Warren witch, the information should be in the Book of Shadows," Phoebe said, breaking the silence.

"How many centuries ago was the mark banished?" Patty asked Prue.

"Well, I always thought this was a legend so I'm not really sure," she said. "At least three."

"If it was before Melinda Warren, it wouldn't be in the Book," Piper said.

"We'll probably have to do this from scratch," Patty said.

"So, the usual pairs?" Paige asked. "Phoebe and me on spells. You two on potions?"

Piper, Patty and Phoebe agreed to that arrangement. Prue looked uncomfortable.

"I'm not much for rhyming or cooking. I'll help your whitelighters protect Mark," she said. Then she shimmered downstairs before anyone could say anything else.

* * *

><p>Piper and Patty were in the kitchen working on a potion in the kitchen and talking quietly about the game plan. Eventually Prue's name came up in their conversation.<p>

"Should we be leaving Prue alone with Mark?" Piper asked. "Are we being naïve?"

"She's not alone," Patty said. "Sam and Leo are in there."

"Come on, mom. Sam and Leo are great whitelighters, but as far as fighting goes, Prue could knock them out cold in no time," Piper said with a smirk. "I'm just wondering if we're trusting her too much."

"We're following our hearts," Patty said.

"Sometimes our hearts are wrong," Piper said.

"I know, sweetie," Patty said. "I have my doubts, too. And with Phoebe's premonition, I don't know what to think." She sighed. "Until she gives us reason to believe there's no good left in her, I think we should keep on this course. If there's absolutely no trust here, there's no reason for her to want to redeem herself."

Their conversation paused when they heard the doorbell. Piper walked to the kitchen door and looked down toward the front door. Leo was answering it, so she went back to what she had been doing.

* * *

><p>Leo opened the door and saw a blonde man standing there. He was wearing black jeans, a red t-shirt and a black, leather trench coat. He smiled at Leo.<p>

"Sorry to bother you so late," he said. "My car broke down at the next street over and I was wondering if I could use your phone to call a tow truck."

"I don't know," Leo said, not wanting to let someone in when they were protecting an innocent. "We're kind of busy here right now."

"I'll stay out of your way. It'll only take a second. Promise," he said. He flashed a smile again and looked Leo in the eye. Leo blinked, shook his head as if he had a sudden dizzy spell and then looked back at the man. He smiled and nodded his head.

"Sure, come in," he said, just as Prue entered the foyer.

"No, don't invite him in!" she shouted at Leo, but unfortunately she was too late. Seconds later, Leo was flying through the air and he slammed into Prue, the two of them tumbling to the floor.

"What can I say, Prue?" Gabriel said with a smirk. Sam charged him, but Gabriel easily blocked Sam's attack and threw him into the wall, knocking him unconscious. "You inspired me to strive for greatness."

Piper was in the dining room now. She lifted her hands to freeze Gabriel, but in seconds the vampire was no longer standing where he had been. He had moved over behind Mark. Quickly he grabbed Mark and then ran out of the Manor, too fast for anybody to even see him go.

"What the hell just happened?" Paige asked as she and Phoebe came down the stairs. Prue was shoving Leo off of her. She was obviously annoyed and angered that the whitelighter could be charmed by a vampire.

"Your whitelighter just let a vampire get away with your innocent," she said angrily. "I can track him. I know where Gabriel likes to hide."

"Wait, we'll go with you," Patty said, having also emerged from the kitchen.

"There's no time to wait," Prue said. Again she shimmered out without allowing anyone to say anything more.

* * *

><p>"Can you track her?" Phoebe asked Leo. Leo, Sam and Paige were all sitting in the parlor trying to sense Prue. Phoebe was pacing in front of them. Piper was scrying while Patty watched on from the doorway.<p>

"I've got nothing," Leo said. Paige and Sam both shook their heads.

"How the hell are we going to find her?" Phoebe asked.

"Don't you mean how are we going to find Mark?" Piper asked.

"Same thing," Phoebe said, dismissing it.

The scrying crystal settled on the map and everyone gathered to look. Piper looked up at them. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Prue tracked the vampire to an abandoned building two miles away from the Manor. She didn't waste any time charging into the building. But she was too late. The dagger was stuck hilt deep in Mark's chest. Gabriel looked up at Prue and smiled.<p>

"You're too late," he said. "Your first innocent is dead, Prue. How are you gonna save the day when I've got the power of Ramara?"

"You don't have anything," she said.

Quickly she threw a fire ball that engulfed Gabriel. As he screamed and recoiled, he yanked the dagger out of Mark's chest. The vampire fell backward and then disappeared, leaving only a pile of dust behind. Prue hurried over and knelt next to Mark. But Gabriel was right. Mark was dead. And the mark of Ramara was glowing on his chest. Prue just stared at it, feeling the unbelievable pull of that power. She wanted to move away and let the power evaporate into nothing like Patty had suggested it would. But she couldn't move. In all her years with Belthazor, she had certainly been a force to reckon with. A former Charmed One turned evil. That power was feared by many. The temptation of having the great power of Ramara, a legend she had actually had dreams about, was more than she could resist. She didn't move. She simply knelt there and waited.

Finally the glow on Mark's chest shot forth and blasted into her. She almost fell backward as the rush filled her. But she held her ground as the power spread all over her body. Her senses were in overdrive. She could hear bugs crawling on the ground like it was human footsteps. Every object around her was glowing with its own aura. The slight breeze felt like a sand storm. Her skin was prickling.

"Prue."

She looked up when she heard the voice. The white aura around the entire group was so bright she had to shield her eyes.

"What the hell happened here?" Phoebe asked, horrified to have just seen her premonition come true.

"It's not…" Prue began, trying to choose her words correctly. "I didn't…"

"Did the vampire do this?" Piper asked, not willing to believe that Prue had done this.

Prue shook her head and pressed her hands against her forehead. The rush of the power was still overwhelming her. She wanted to tell them what had happened, that she had killed Gabriel after he had killed Mark. But she couldn't think straight. She couldn't form the words.

"Prue, what happened?" Patty asked, stepping forward a little. Prue recoiled and glared at all of them. She suddenly felt as if they were all accusing her. She shook her head and shimmered out.

* * *

><p>The red and blue lights flashed. Several police cars, an ambulance and the coroner's van were gathered around the abandoned building. Patty and the sisters were huddled off to the side, waiting for Andy to come give them some info. He finished talking to his partner, Darryl, and then approached them.<p>

"Single stab wound to the heart," he said. He wrapped his arm around Piper's shoulders. "The mark isn't on his chest anymore. I looked. Nobody knows it was ever there except us."

"And Prue," Paige said. She looked to Patty and Piper. "How many chances are we giving her? We knew this was going to happen and we did nothing to stop it."

"Paige has a point. We lost an innocent because we thought we could trust Prue. Because she used to be our family," Phoebe said.

"She still is," Piper responded.

"She stopped being our family the day Belthazor got her to take an innocent life," Paige said. "There's no turning back from that."

"There has to be," Piper said. "And we don't know that she killed Mark."

"She took the power of Ramara in," Patty said. "We saw it. That suggests that she was the one to kill him."

"But it's not the only option," Piper said. She couldn't believe their mother, of all people, was giving up on Prue now. She pulled away from Andy and began walking away from the group. "I'm not giving up on her."


	3. Until Proven Guilty

**Until Proven Guilty**

MUSIC CREDITS: "Dare You To Move" by Switchfoot and "Sick Cycle Carousel" by Lifehouse

* * *

><p><em>Welcome to the planet.<br>Welcome to existence.  
>Everyone's here.<br>Everyone's here.  
>Everybody's watching you now.<br>Everybody waits for you now.  
>What happens next?<br>What happens next?_

_I dare you to move.  
>I dare you to move.<br>I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor.  
>I dare you to move.<br>I dare you to move,  
>Like today never happened,<br>Today never happened before.  
>Welcome to the fallout.<em>

_Welcome to existence.  
>Attention is here.<br>Attention is here.  
>It's between where you are and where you could be,<br>Between how it is and how it should be._

_I dare you to move.  
>I dare you to move.<br>I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor.  
>I dare you to move.<br>I dare you to move,  
>Like today never happened,<br>Today never happened before._

_Maybe redemption is stories to tell.  
>Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell.<br>Where can you run to?  
>You're scared by yourself.<br>Where you gonna go?  
>Where you gonna go?<br>Salvation is here._

_I dare you to move.  
>I dare you to move.<br>I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor.  
>I dare you to move.<br>I dare you to move,  
>Like today never happened,<br>Today never happened,  
>Today never happened,<br>Today never happened before._

Andy rolled over in bed and reached for Piper, only to find that she wasn't there. This caused him to wake up and look around for her. The bedroom door was open. It didn't surprise him. It just made him aware that she was either in the attic or downstairs. Piper and Andy were the only ones in the house that slept with the bedroom door closed anymore. The others left their doors open so they could hear if Prue came back and attacked one of them. Piper refused to give in to their way of thinking. She went downstairs every night while the others were asleep and continued working on a way to find Prue and a way to get the power of Ramara out of her.

He got out of bed and walked from room to room, making sure everyone else was still asleep. Then he headed downstairs. The attic light wasn't on so he knew she was in the kitchen. He found her at the table, referencing the Book of Shadows while she worked on her own spells.

"Are you getting anywhere?" he asked. She jumped and turned, her hands at the ready to channel her power toward him. She quickly dropped them and exhaled.

"God, you know how dangerous it is to sneak up on people in this house," she said sharply. She turned back to her spells. "What are you doing up?"

"Looking for you," he replied. He moved behind her, leaned over and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder. She stopped writing and just sat there. "It's been a week. You're not getting any sleep. Come back to bed."

Piper shrugged him off and pushed his hands away. "Not until I find her and find out what really happened to Mark."

"But can't you do this during the day?" he asked. He sat at the table next to her. "If you do find her, you're going to be too tired to fight her if she attacks."

"She won't attack," Piper said. She started writing something down but Andy took her pen away so she would look at him.

"Aren't you being a little blind here?" he asked sharply. "You're so determined to save her, but maybe she doesn't want to be saved. And now she's got all these powers. What if she kills you?"

"She could have killed us the night Mark died," Piper said. "If she wanted that, she would've done it by now."

"So maybe she doesn't want to kill you, but what makes you think she wants to be good?" Andy asked.

"She brought Mark to us to protect him," Piper said. "If she had wanted the power of Ramara that badly, she would've killed him the instant she found him."

"I hate to go all Shakespeare on you, but that kind of power corrupts," he said. "She may have wanted to be good before, but with all that power she's not going to want to be good anymore."

"We don't know that," Piper said. She sighed. "I know it's hard, but I need your support in this. Please."

"I don't know if I can," he replied. "I think you're setting yourself up to get hurt—physically and emotionally."

"I'll have to live with the consequences," Piper said. "But I know I'm right here. I just want to know that someone will back me up when the time comes."

"What do you mean when the time comes?"

"When the time comes to tell my mother and sisters that I'm going to the Underworld to find Prue," Piper said. She took her pen back and started writing again.

"What?" Andy exclaimed loudly. Piper shushed him and listened, making sure no one was awakened by his shout. "You want me to back you up on that? You've gotta be nuts."

"Gee, thank you for your support," she said sarcastically.

"You're talking about going into the lion's den completely unprepared. Even if Prue doesn't kill you, something else will," he said. "You don't know what kind of demons you'll run into, not to mention the Source. It's suicide. I can't let you do that."

"You won't be _letting_ me do anything," she said sharply. "I'm going with or without your support. But I'd like to go with rather than without."

"I don't know if I can," he said. Piper looked away from him and continued writing. Neither of them said anything for a moment. "Please, come back to bed. We can talk about this in the morning."

"I have work to do," she said simply.

Andy stood and kissed her on the head. Once he had left the kitchen, Piper put her pen down and rested her head in her hands. Her resolve was faltering. It was hard to keep this up without the support of her family. She was alone. The one thing that kept her going was that she knew Prue was also alone. She could picture Prue being attacked by various warlocks and demons who were seeking the power of Ramara. In fleeting moments she wondered if Prue was still alive or if some demon had managed to get the jump on her. But she knew that if that were the case that demon would've made his new power known to them by now. It was logical to think that the first thing any demon would do after gaining the power was kill the Charmed Ones and claim his or her rightful place as leader of the Underworld. Prue was still alive and as long as she was, Piper truly believed they were safe.

* * *

><p>The sound of thunder echoed throughout the cave as rocks crumbled down from where an energy ball had hit. Prue rose from where she had landed and brushed off the dust. She looked over at her attacker, not phased at all.<p>

"Crakus, do you really think you can defeat me?" she asked with a smirk. "You know just as well as I do that the power of Ramara is more than you could ever dream to take on."

"I will get that power out of you," he said. He threw another energy ball, but Prue ducked before it even came near her. She materialized a fire ball, threw it at Crakus and watched him disappear.

This had been her routine for the past week, ever since she had taken in the power of Ramara. Demons attacked; she killed them. She heard rumblings that the Source had put a bounty out for her. Any demon that captured her alive and brought her to the Source would be rewarded. That only made things worse, as if having them attack her for the power wasn't enough.

She'd been staying in the Underworld. While it would've been easier to hide in the mortal world, she didn't want to risk running into the Charmed Ones and everyone else. She knew they would try to find her. She was confident that the power of Ramara would afford her the protection she needed. If she had to spend the rest of her years killing demons in the Underworld, she would do it. She knew demons couldn't defeat her, and she knew that the Charmed Ones were resourceful enough to find a way to vanquish her. A witch had banished the mark of Ramara. It could be done. Part of her welcomed the vanquish. Another part of her wished she had never taken the power on in the first place.

She wasn't sure what kind of life she was leading or what kind of life she wanted. More and more she thought about the mortal life she could have had. The innocence, the freedom. The support and love of a family. Sisters who respected her, not because they feared her but because they loved her. She didn't think it was possible to get that now. How could she? They believed she killed Mark for the power of Ramara. They saw what they wanted to see and now had a reason to vanquish her. What was the point to redemption now? The only reason she didn't let some demon kill her and take the power was because she knew the first thing that demon would do would be to go kill the Charmed Ones.

Prue shook her head at the thought. It was all so confusing. How could she possibly want to protect the people who surely wanted to vanquish her? Every thought she had conflicted with another thought. Every feeling was new and confusing. Right now all she knew to do was survive. Any demon who tried to kill her would be dealt with quickly. She would destroy them one by one if she had to. At this point, all she knew how to do was act and react. If she thought about anything, that would be the end of her. And the end of her family.

* * *

><p>"Your daughter has lost her mind, Patty," Sam said, pacing behind the sofa on which Patty, Paige and Phoebe sat. Leo leaned against the arm of the couch near Phoebe while Piper sat in an arm chair across from all of them. Andy sat on the arm of her chair.<p>

"Oh sure, when she's coming up with suicide plans she's _my_ daughter," Patty said sharply, with a hint of sarcasm. "You only say you're her father when it suits you."

"Well, if she was my daughter she'd have some common sense."

"Hello! Still in the room here," Piper interrupted. "And it's not a suicide plan."

"I'm sorry. What exactly was your plan again?" Paige asked. "You lost me at the part where you said you were going to the Underworld."

"I'm going to find Prue," Piper said. "I came up with a way that I think will work to get the power of Ramara out of her and banished."

"And how's that exactly?" Phoebe asked, just as skeptical as everyone else.

"Well, I figure power isn't just magical, it's mental," Piper said. "Our powers are tied to our emotions and certainly the same will be true for Prue. Controlling the power means having the mental will power to do it. Part of having the power is believing you have it. So I figure I can banish the power from the inside."

"From the inside?" Paige asked. "I don't follow."

"I'll go into Prue's mind and force the power out," she continued to explain. "Once the power's out it should turn back into an amulet and then I'll banish the amulet."

"You keep talking like you're going to do this alone," Leo said. "You keep saying 'I'll do this and I'll do that.' Don't you think you'll need the Power of Three?"

"If they'll come," Piper said quietly, looking at her sisters. "I just assumed they wouldn't go for it."

"So if we don't agree you'll still go?" Phoebe asked. "Guilt or go, basically."

"It's up to you. I've made up my mind."

"Piper, you're talking about going into the Underworld alone," Patty said. "I'm not about to let my daughter do that."

"There's that 'let' word again," Piper said sharply. "Like I told Andy last night, I'm going with or without your support. I just thought I'd be courteous and let you in on the plan first."

"Thanks. Appreciate it," Paige said dryly. "You're a peach."

"Piper, just think about what you're planning," Sam said. "You know nothing about the Underworld. You don't even know how to find her once you're down there."

"I've got a spell for that," she said.

"Oh, you've got a spell for that," Phoebe said. "That makes it a good plan then."

"Well, it's obvious this was a mistake," Piper said. She stood and walked toward the stairs. When she got to the parlor door she turned. "Whether you're with me or not, I'm leaving in fifteen minutes." Then she hurried up the stairs to get ready.

"Piper!" Patty called after her. But nobody followed her. They all sat and thought about the situation. The Warren witches were a stubborn lot. They knew they couldn't talk Piper out of it. The question was whether or not they could live with letting her go alone.

* * *

><p>Piper stood in the attic, spells in her left hand and three candles in her right. Time was up. She was about to go down to the Underworld alone based on her instinct that Prue was innocent of killing Mark and that she could get her back on the side of good. As she took a deep breath, preparing to say her spell, Paige walked into the room.<p>

"Need a lift to the Underworld?" she asked with a smirk. Piper was surprised to say the least.

"You changed your mind about Prue?"

"No," Paige replied honestly. "But I'm not about to sit around while you go to the Underworld alone and possibly get killed. I couldn't live with that." Piper nodded her head in understanding. If their roles were reversed, she knew she couldn't stand by either. "Part of me still thinks there's no redeeming Prue, but now's your chance to prove me wrong."

"Don't leave without us," Phoebe said as she and Leo walked into the attic. Piper and Paige just looked at her and waited for her to explain her intentions. "What? You think I'd let you two go without me? And besides, Leo's right. If the power of Ramara is all it's cracked up to be, you'll need the Power of Three at the very least to banish it."

Piper looked to Leo. "And you?"

"Uh, in case you need healing," he said. "You're going to the Underworld. You're bound to get hurt."

"Mom and dad will wait here for us," Paige said. "But dad said he'd come after us if we're not back in five hours."

"Hopefully we'll be back in half that time," Piper said. "If my spells work the way they're supposed to, we should find Prue and be out of there quickly."

"Yeah, but how often do things work the way they're supposed to?" Phoebe asked with a smirk. The others chuckled knowingly.

Paige extended her hand and Piper grabbed it. The four of them orbed out of the attic and down to the Underworld.

* * *

><p>The Source growled at the guards who stood in front of him. They had just informed him that the latest attack on Prue had failed. He had tried everything, but there were few demons that would follow the Source's orders. They all wanted the power of Ramara for themselves. A bounty was nothing compared to the power they could have if they were to take it from Prue themselves. He had to form a massive attack. As many demons as he could gather.<p>

"Find as many demons still loyal to me as you can," he ordered. "One by one we cannot defeat Prue. But many as one, we should be able to take her and the power." The two guards nodded their heads. He just growled and then bellowed, "Go!"

Once they were gone he sat down and muttered to himself. "You will pay traitor. And I will become the most powerful being the universe has ever known."

* * *

><p>When they arrived in the Underworld, the four of them looked around, trying to get their bearings.<p>

"So this is hell?" Paige asked, feigning a nonchalant attitude.

"Anything?" Piper asked Leo, who was already attempting to sense Prue. He just shook his head.

"It's like before. I can't sense her," he replied. "Do you have a way to locate her?"

"Yeah," Piper replied. She pulled a crystal out of her pocket and quickly said a spell. "Guiding light please lead our way. Show us where our sister stays."

The crystal began to glow and then it floated up out of Piper's hand. She smirked at the others as the crystal began to float away. She followed it and the others followed her, Paige and Phoebe shooting confused glances at each other as they went.

For a while they walked through the caverns of the Underworld, not sure if the crystal was truly leading them to Prue. Just as they were about to round a corner they heard what sounded like a fight going on. Piper reached forward and snatched the crystal out of the air to make sure whoever was around that corner didn't know that they were there. There were flashes of electricity and shouts. Then finally a scream as a demon flew backwards down the cavern and slammed into the wall. As he fell to the ground he disappeared in a puff of red smoke.

"Idiots," a voice from around the corner said. Piper looked over at the others in surprise. It was Prue. She walked around the corner then, not giving the others time to protest.

"Prue," Piper said. She barely had time to dive out of the way as a fireball flew past her, scorching the cavern wall. Prue hadn't even bothered to look when she threw it, figuring it was another demon coming to try his luck. She was about to throw another one when she realized who Piper was. The others came around the corner and over to Piper, ready for a fight. Prue lowered her arm and shook her head.

"What in the hell are you people doing down here?" she said. "I should kill you for being so stupid. But I guess another demon might take care of that for me."

"We're here to help you," Piper said as she took Paige's hand and stood up. She dusted herself off and then looked to Prue. "I know you didn't kill Mark."

Prue chuckled. "Do you? And how do you know that? You psychic too?" she asked.

"No, that's my power," Phoebe said. "But you knew that already."

"We're here to get the power of Ramara out of you and banished," Piper continued, not letting Prue discourage her.

"And what makes you think I want that?" she asked. "I mean, you saw what just happened here. No demon is any match for me."

"No demon maybe," Paige said.

"Ooh, you're spunky," Prue said with a smirk. "You'd love to vanquish me right now, wouldn't you?"

"Only if I have to," Paige said. "Give me a reason to do it and I will."

"Nobody's vanquishing you," Piper said. "We're going to get that power out of you. We've got everything to get it out and banished forever."

Prue walked over to a nearby boulder and sat on it. "Let's say I wanted you to banish the power out of me. How exactly do you propose to do that?"

"Push it out from the inside," Phoebe said. Prue shot a confused look at her.

"I don't follow."

"We go inside your mind and banish the power of Ramara from inside you," Piper said. She walked toward Prue. "It'd be best to not do this here. With all the demons attacking you, we could be interrupted. Come back to the Manor with us."

"I don't think so," Prue said. Her inner alarms started going off. This was a trap. "I'm not going anywhere with you. You want to take me up to your home, where you're most powerful. Not a chance."

"While we're doing this, we won't be aware of what's going on around us," Phoebe said. "We'll be vulnerable."

"With nothing but our whitelighter to protect us," Piper said. "No offense Leo, but if the Source sends a bunch of demons to attack us, we don't stand a chance."

"Some offense taken," Leo said quietly. Phoebe squeezed his hand.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Prue said. "It could all be a trap."

"Fine," Piper said in a frustrated tone. "Then we'll do it here."

"I never agreed to anything," Prue said sharply.

"Do you really want to spend the rest of your life on the run?" Piper said. "If you don't let us do this, we will find a way to vanquish you. Because eventually that power will corrupt you. Forget redemption. You'll have every supernatural being in the Underworld and above hunting you down. We're giving you another chance."

"One you haven't necessarily earned," Paige said.

"You were trying to be good before. Has that changed?" Phoebe asked. Prue's attitude changed and she gave in.

"Fine. We'll do this," she said. "But we're still doing it down here."

"Okay," Piper said. She pulled out her supplies and got ready to begin the spell. "We have to sit in a circle and hold hands."

"Oh joy," Paige said sarcastically.

Piper sat down and placed the three candles in a triangle. Prue sat across from her, Phoebe sat to Prue's left and Paige to Prue's right. Leo stood off to the side.

"Piper, if this spell is interrupted, what would happen?" Leo asked, looking toward the entrances of the cavern.

"If the circle's broken, the spell is broken," Piper replied as she lit the candles. "We're pulled back out of Prue's mind and return to our own."

"So you wouldn't be hurt or anything?" he asked.

"No. The spell itself isn't dangerous," Piper answered. "The dangerous part is us being unaware of what's going on outside Prue's mind. If you even hear a demon, Leo, break the circle. All you have to do is break our hands apart."

"Got it," he said. He stood back and let them do their thing.

"Okay," Piper said. "Hold hands."

She took Phoebe and Paige's hands, and Phoebe took Prue's hand. Paige hesitated in taking Prue's hand until Piper squeezed her other hand sharply.

"Ow. Okay. Geez," Paige said, glaring at Piper as she took Prue's hand. Then Piper began the spell.

Life to life and mind to mind  
>our spirits now will intertwine<br>We mould our souls and journey to  
>the one whose thoughts we wish we knew.<p>

As she said the spell all of them closed their eyes and finally as she spoke the last line the cavern fell into a deep silence, only broken by the slight sound of their breathing.

They all looked around, taking in their surroundings. They stood in a large open field of wildflowers, except that the field didn't look realistic. It looked like a painting, like a watercolor much like those done by Claude Monet. They all walked towards each other. Paige smirked and was the first to speak as she picked a flower.

"This is Prue's brain," she said, holding the flower up. Then she smooshed it in her hand. It squeezed through her fingers just like paint. She held up her paint covered hand. "This is Prue's brain on drugs. Any questions?"

"I've got one," Phoebe said, still looking around in confusion. "What the hell…?"

"Just be glad it's a peaceful painting," Prue said in a deadpan tone. She looked to Piper. "Any clue why we're in a painting?"

"How should I know?" Piper asked back. "It's your brain."

"Did you have a bad experience with watercolors as a child?" Paige asked mockingly.

"I thought we were here to banish the power of Ramara, not get all Freud on my past," Prue said.

"We might have to get Freud on your past in order to find the power of Ramara," Piper said. "Something tells me it's not going to look exactly like we expect it to."

"Honestly, I don't even know what I expect it to look like," Phoebe said. "How are we going to know?"

"You were the psychology major, Pheebs," Paige said. "What do you see?"

Phoebe looked around and lightly brushed a rose with her fingers. She smeared the paint between her fingertips and thought for a moment. "Maybe…well, Monet was an impressionist. Maybe Prue sees her life outside of reality as just an impression of reality and no real definition to it. It would make sense considering her current conflict with her good and evil sides."

"This is wonderful. Next we'll be talking about penis envy," Prue said sarcastically. The others couldn't help but snicker at that. She shook her head and started walking. "Come on. We're not getting anywhere just standing here. We've gotta find the power of Ramara."

The others followed a few feet behind her and Paige muttered, "Talk about a one-track mind."

* * *

><p>After walking for a while, they came across a cabin and went inside. It took them into a little girl's bedroom. The walls were pink. The bed had a pink bedspread and canopy with ruffles. There were toys and stuffed animals littering the floor. Across the room a girl who looked to be about 6-years-old sat at a child's drawing table coloring a picture. Paige leaned over and picked up a doll with a shiny blue dress and orange yarn hair.<p>

"Rainbow Brite?" she wondered aloud, staring at the doll. "Flashback time."

"That's not Prue," Phoebe said in reference to the girl, stating what everybody else had already realized. "I don't recognize her."

"Me either," Piper said. She turned to Prue. "What about you?"

"She looks familiar, but I can't place her," Prue replied. "She might have been a friend of mine before Belthazor took me."

"Why don't we ask her?" Paige asked, moving toward the girl. She crouched down beside the table and looked at the picture. It was a picture she had drawn of a man, woman and child—probably her family. The girl didn't look up. Just kept coloring. "I'm Paige. What's your name?"

Before the girl could answer, the scene suddenly changed and the four sisters were in the attic of the Manor. They looked around and saw themselves there, including Andy, Sam, Patty, Glen and Mark. It was the night that Mark had been killed.

"She could be lying," memory Paige said.

"Mark would've been dead a long time ago if I was," memory Prue said. "Let it go."

They watched as memory Piper released the freeze on the fireball and Mark was thrown to the floor. Then they all turned away from the scene to each other.

"Well, this is probably really obvious already, but this just reinforces that Prue didn't kill Mark," Piper said.

"A memory? How does it reinforce that?" Paige asked.

"She's right," Prue said. "I didn't kill him. Gabriel, the vampire, killed him. I killed Gabriel before he could take in the power of Ramara and I ended up taking it instead."

"Why didn't you just let the power dissipate like mom had suggested?" Phoebe asked.

"I couldn't resist the pull," Prue said shamefully. "When you've been evil for so many years you tend to lean towards power hunger."

They turned away from their conversation long enough to realize they were now in the warehouse where Mark had been killed. Memory Prue stood there as Gabriel gloated about acquiring the power of Ramara.

"You don't have anything," memory Prue said. Then she flung the fireball that killed Gabriel. They all watched as she knelt next to Mark and then took the power of Ramara in. The rest of it they already knew.

"Okay, so you didn't kill him," Paige said, sounding almost disappointed. She didn't like being wrong. "How is all this helping us find the power?"

"It's not," Piper said in frustration. She headed towards the door of the warehouse. All four of them walked through it to find they were back in the little girl's bedroom.

Phoebe threw up her hands in frustration. "This whole sudden scenery change thing is getting annoying."

* * *

><p>Leo paced back and forth for a while after they did the spell. Then he decided to venture a few yards out of the cavern to see if he heard any demons coming their way. He glanced around nervously hoping not to run into anybody. He neared a corner and leaned back against the wall as he heard to voices, out of sight.<p>

"What do you want, Phaulos?" an annoyed female voice asked. Leo glanced around the corner to see a female warlock dressed all in black. She was talking with a large yellow demon that had spines all along his head. He was wearing tan pants with a black vest and black boots. When he spoke his voice was very raspy.

"The Source is assembling an army to take down Prue and claim the power of Ramara," Phaulos proclaimed. "He has sent me to gather his still loyal followers."

"What makes him think one of us won't claim the power for ourselves?" the female asked.

"Because none of us have the power to take on Prue alone," Phaulos said. "Many have died trying."

The woman nodded her head. She knew that answer, but she just wanted to hear it said aloud. "When do we attack?"

"We're gathering in his chambers now," Phaulos said. The two of them turned and walked off. The expression on Leo's face changed to one of worry. He headed back to the sisters and watched them sit there, wondering if he should break the circle. They didn't have much time.

* * *

><p>As soon as one of the sisters tried to talk to the little girl they were instantly transported out of the girl's bedroom to the barren sands of a desert. Prue looked at their surroundings and then looked to Phoebe.<p>

"So what does this represent in my life, Dr. Phoebe?" she asked sarcastically. She started walking away before Phoebe gave her answer. She crouched down and grabbed some sand. She held her hand out, allowing the sand to fall through her fingers and blow away. "Are we really not in a desert, but instead in a giant hourglass, representing how my time is running out and I better right all my wrongs? What the hell are we doing?"

"We're getting nowhere. That's what we're doing," Paige said. She kicked at the sand and turned to Piper. "We need to figure out a spell or something that will find this power. At this rate we'll be in Prue's mind for the rest of our lives."

"Why are you all looking to me for all the answers?" Piper asked.

"This was your plan," Phoebe said.

"The little girl," Prue said, staring down at the sand. The others waited for her to explain. "The girl must have something to do with it."

"How do you figure?" Paige asked.

"Every time we've tried to talk to her we've been pulled away," Prue said. "Some part of my mind is trying to keep us away from her."

"The power is trying to keep you away from her," Piper said. "You're right. If we could talk to the girl, or at least find out who she is, that might help us find the power of Ramara."

"You said she looked familiar," Phoebe said. "Think. Where did you see her before?"

"I don't know," Prue replied. "I've been thinking about it this whole time, but I can't remember. If we could get back to her and just watch her, she might do something to help me remember."

"Take my hand," Paige said, holding her hand out to Piper. She looked to Prue. "We could try magical transport. You shimmer with Phoebe and I'll orb with Piper."

Prue shrugged her shoulders. She didn't think it would work, but anything was worth trying at this point. She took Phoebe's hand and shimmered. She felt the familiar feelings of shimmering and when she rematerialized she saw she was in a kitchen. Piper and Paige were nearby. The little girl was not there.

"Well, at least we're out of the desert," Paige said. Then a woman passed by the kitchen door. She was in her late 20s and she was wearing clothing that were of a late 1970s, early 1980s style. They all walked out of the kitchen, following the woman to the bottom of the staircase.

"Michelle! Come downstairs!" she called up the stairs. The little girl the sisters had been looking for came to the top of the stairs and looked down.

"Why? I wanna play," she said with a small pout.

"Prue and Cole will be here any minute. You can play with Prue when they get here."

"Cole?" Phoebe asked. "Who's Cole?"

"Cole Turner was Belthazor's human half," Prue said. Realization had overcome her the instant the girl's mother said her name. She didn't want to tell the others who the girl was, but she knew she had to. "And the little girl was my first kill."

* * *

><p>Leo looked from the sisters to the cavern's entrance and back to the sisters. He didn't want to break the circle before they had banished the power of Ramara, but he knew it wouldn't matter if he let the demons attack and kill them. He finally made a decision. He stepped into the center of the circle and placed his hands on Paige and Phoebe's shoulders.<p>

"Sorry, Prue. We can't stay here," he said. Then he orbed all four of them out of the Underworld and up to the Manor.

* * *

><p>"They're both witches. He got close to her under the ruse that he was a single father and widower. Told her that his wife had died in a car accident when I was two years old," Prue explained. "She had lost her husband to a warlock six months before we met her. I became friends with Michelle, and the two of them became romantically involved."<p>

"But the two of you were faking it all," Paige said with an angry expression on her face. The whole situation disgusted her.

"I was at first," Prue said. "But after a while I started liking Michelle. Playing with her reminded me of when Piper and I used to play when we were little. I started missing home. But Belthazor realized what was happening with me and forced me to kill her and steal her power before I got too attached."

"You could've chosen not to do it," Piper said. Prue shook her head.

"Are you telling me that when you were six years old if a demon threatened to kill you unless you did what he told you, you would've said no?" Prue asked. "Not to mention that I thought you all had given up on finding me. I really wasn't thinking about innocents then."

"So the question we really need to ask is what the girl has to do with the power of Ramara," Phoebe said.

"Maybe she represents the power of Ramara," Paige suggested.

"No," Piper responded. "If the power of Ramara were a person, the way to banish it would probably be to kill the person. It doesn't make sense to replay Prue's first kill in order to banish a demonic power."

"The memory has to change," Phoebe said. The others waited for her to elaborate. "This was the moment that Prue did her first demonic act. The moment she became evil in her mind was when she killed this little girl. So if we change the moment in Prue's mind, that changes her history in her mind and gives us the chance to banish the power."

"Wouldn't that involve changing the memory of Mark's death?" Prue asked.

Paige jumped on Phoebe's thought train and answered Prue. "No. Because you didn't kill Mark. Your original intent wasn't to take the power, it was to save him. With Michelle, you actually intended to kill her. There's the difference."

"So when do you kill her?" Piper asked.

"This is the day. When Belthazor and I show up we'll attack," Prue said. Almost like it was a cue, the doorbell rang. Michelle's mother jogged over to the front door and opened it. Belthazor, in his human form, walked in. Beside him was six-year-old Prue.

Michelle's mother quickly hugged Belthazor and then led him and Prue into the living room, where Michelle was waiting for them. Prue sat beside Michelle on the floor.

"What was the big thing you wanted to tell me?" Michelle's mother said as she sat on the sofa. Belthazor remained standing. The sisters were standing near the front door, watching and waiting. Prue stepped forward and tried to form a fireball in her hand, but nothing happened. She looked at her hand in confusion and then to the others. Piper tried to freeze Belthazor, but that didn't work either. They all returned their focus to the scene before them. Michelle and her mother screamed as Belthazor turned into his demonic form. He was about to throw an energy ball at Michelle's mother when Prue charged at him, tackling him to the floor.

While they struggled Michelle's mother grabbed her daughter and hurried to the other side of the room. Young Prue stood and faced them. She pulled an athame from her jacket. It looked like a small sword in her little hands. Michelle's mother lifted her hand and created a force field between young Prue and the two of them. As Belthazor and Prue continued fighting, Piper, Paige and Phoebe moved toward young Prue.

"Prue, don't do it," Paige said. Young Prue glared at them. "We know you don't want to do this."

"Who are you?" she asked.

"We're your sisters," Phoebe said. "You don't recognize us, obviously. But we're from the future. We're here to stop you from doing this and bring you home."

"You're lying," young Prue said.

On the other side of the room, Belthazor kicked Prue off of him and she fell next to the fireplace. As he moved to attack her, she grabbed a fireplace poker and rammed it into his chest. He growled as it went completely through his chest and out his back. The others looked over in shock. As he burst into flames and distracted young Prue, Piper snatched the athame out of young Prue's hand. Belthazor disappeared and young Prue backed against the wall.

"We're not here to hurt you, Prue," Piper said. "We're here to help you."

Older Prue joined her sisters. Michelle and her mother suddenly disappeared from the scene. This alarmed young Prue even more. She looked at her older self.

"Are you my sister, too?" she asked defiantly.

"No. I'm you," Prue replied. "And guess what. They never gave up on you. Mom and Grams. Piper, Phoebe, Sam, and Paige. None of them gave up trying to find you."

"But Belthazor said—"

"A little lesson, Prue," Paige said with a smirk. "Demons lie. He lied to you."

She stared at them for a moment and then she knelt down, curling up into a ball on the floor. As she laid there she started changing. A bright light enveloped her and forced the sisters to shield their eyes. When the light finally disappeared they all looked back to where young Prue had been. There on the floor was a small amulet. It was the Mark of Ramara. Prue bent down and picked it up, running her thumb across it.

"This is what we came for," she said. She looked to her sisters. "So let's get rid of it."

Leo, Sam and Patty were standing in the attic, discussing the situation.

"The Source was building an army," Leo said. "It won't be long before they realize Prue isn't in the Underworld and come up here."

"So you're suggesting that we break the circle?" Patty asked. She didn't want to. This was the best chance of them getting Prue back on their side and the power of Ramara banished forever. The fact that Prue had willingly done the spell only proved more promising. "We may not have this opportunity again."

"While they're in Prue's mind, they're at risk," Sam said, agreeing with Leo. "They'll be sitting ducks if demons enter this attic."

"I'll freeze them," Patty said.

"All of them?" Leo asked. "Including the Source?"

"I'll do what I have to. If they're going to attack we have to get rid of their reason for attacking," Patty said. "As long as the power of Ramara is in Prue's body they'll keep attacking."

The sound of a crash on the ground floor caused the three of them look toward the attic door. It was a lot sooner than any of them had thought it would be. The battle would begin here. Leo looked to the sisters and knew what had to be done. Whether they had succeeded yet or not, he had no choice. He reached toward Phoebe's hand to break the circle and possibly destroy their best chance of saving Prue from the evil within her.

"We all have to say this one," Piper said. She had created a pentagram out of long kitchen matches on the floor with five candles at the points. Then she placed the Mark of Ramara in the center of the pentagram. "Especially you, Prue. Once the power is banished the spell should automatically release us from Prue's mind."

"Here's hoping," Paige said, all too ready to end their stay in Prue's subconscious.

They all joined hands and stood around the pentagram. Piper began the spell and the others joined her after she had recited it once. The flames on the candles flared up, reaching a height of almost two feet as they chanted. The Mark of Ramara glowed a bright red and then white. They all closed their eyes and continued chanting. When the brightness ended they opened their eyes and saw that the amulet had disappeared. There was no sign of it.

"So, looks like it's banished," Phoebe said. She looked to Piper. "Why are we still here?"

* * *

><p>When Leo separated their hands all four sisters looked around, disoriented for a moment. Prue was the first of them to speak.<p>

"How the hell did we get up here?"

But no one had time to answer as the first demon entered the attic. He hurled an energy ball toward Prue, which Patty managed to freeze. More demons flooded into the room and the seven of them went on the defensive. Phoebe and Paige immediately were drawn into hand to hand, while Patty froze everyone she could and Piper blew up everyone who charged her.

Phaulos grinned at Prue and created an energy ball in his hand. Prue smirked at him and tried to create a fire ball, but nothing happened. She looked down at her hand in shock, practically forgetting that Phaulos was about to hurl an energy ball at her.

Paige saw Prue staring at her hand in shock, and she quickly kicked the demon she was fighting away. As Phaulos' energy ball came hurtling through the air toward Prue, Paige cried out.

"No!" she yelled. She ran toward Prue, pushing her out of the way just in time to take the full brunt of the blast. She flew backwards, slamming into the attic wall and slumping to the floor. Prue stood and charged at Phaulos, tackling him to the floor. In one quick motion she wrapped her arms around his head and snapped his neck. As she stood he disappeared.

"Mom, there's a spell in the Book of Shadows," Phoebe said as she high kicked a black skinned demon. "It's a mass vanquishing spell. Take the book over by Paige."

Patty did so, flipping the pages of the book frantically, hoping they could get rid of the demons in time for Sam or Leo to heal Paige. She looked over and saw Sam and Leo both fighting a rather large demon with three horns on its head.

"Sam! Leo!" Piper called, seeing what Patty was doing and knowing what she was looking for. "Get out of the house!"

The two whitelighters managed to knock the demon unconscious as Piper yelled to them. They were somewhat confused, but knew not to question a Halliwell witch. They orbed out as Prue, Piper and Phoebe joined Patty over by Paige. Piper and Patty both lifted their hands, freezing the demons that were moving toward them. Paige was still unconscious, but they knew as long as they held her hand she would be protected from the spell they were about to cast.

The demons unfroze and all growled as they felt the effects of the spell working through them. Flames erupted on their skin and spread all over their bodies. Moments later they all were engulfed in the vanquishing fires and then quickly disappeared, leaving only a gray puff of smoke behind.

The four women just sighed in relief for a moment, glad that they had managed to make it out of this battle. Then Paige's groan brought them back to reality.

"Sam! Leo!" Patty called, knowing now that Paige would be okay.

Prue looked down at Paige as the whitelighters orbed in. Patty stepped back and Sam knelt next to his daughter, holding his hands over her to heal her wounds.

"You saved my life," Prue said to Paige.

"Don't be too flattered," Paige said, forcing a sardonic smirk through her pain. "That was a reflex."

Prue just smiled as Sam finished healing Paige. They all stood and Patty replaced the Book of Shadows on its podium.

"Is the power of Ramara gone?" Leo asked. Piper nodded her head, proud and excited that her plan had worked.

"It's not the only thing that's gone," Prue said. The others were confused. "All my demonic powers and the powers I stole from witches over the years are gone too."

"I saw it," Paige said, agreeing with Prue. "You were trying to hit that demon with a fire ball, weren't you?"

Prue nodded her head. "Yeah, but nothing happened. I've tried to shimmer too. Nothing. All I've got is telekinesis and astral projection. That spell to banish the mark must have banished all of the powers."

"I know," Piper said. The others looked over at her, wondering what she was talking about. "I planned it that way."

"What?" Prue asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you wouldn't go through with it if I told you we were going to banish all of your demonic powers," Piper said.

"You could've at least told us," Phoebe said, shocked that Piper had kept that detail from all of them.

"I could've been killed," Prue said, angry now. "You saw what happened. The only reason I'm still alive is because Paige pushed me out of the way of that energy ball. Hell, she's lucky to be alive. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking I would get all of the evil out of you," Piper said, not understanding what she was so upset about. "I was thinking that this was the one chance we had of getting you back on our side."

"That's not your choice to make," Prue said. "That was my choice. I chose to have the power of Ramara banished. That I chose. I didn't choose for you to make me weaker, make me more vulnerable. You had no right."

"She's right, Piper," Patty said. "You should've told her. Ultimately, anything that happens is Prue's decision."

"You can't be serious, mom," Piper said. "I did her a favor."

"You didn't know that she would reject the idea of having all of her demonic powers banished," Sam added. "She might have agreed. But instead you chose for her. That's not how it should go."

"You want me to be good, fine. But I'll be good on my terms, not yours," Prue said angrily. "You're just trying to get back the sister you idolized when you were a kid. But there's no bringing her back. That sister is gone. All that's left is me, and if you ever want me on your side again, you're going to back off. Stop trying to save me. I'll save myself."

She tried to shimmer out and realized she couldn't. She growled and then stalked out of the attic. Piper was about to follow her when Phoebe grabbed her shoulder.

"Let her go, Piper," Phoebe said. She understood Prue's anger and knew she needed time to cool off and be alone. "She's not in receptive mode right now. Do as she asked. Back off."

_Shame on a face  
>I think it can look mine.<br>If it had a home would it be my eyes?  
>Would you believe me if I said I'm tired of this?<br>Well here we go now one more time.  
>Because I tried to climb your steps<br>I tried to chase you down.  
>I tried to see how low I could get down to the ground.<br>I tried to earn my way.  
>I tried to tame this mind.<br>You better believe I am trying to be this._

_Where will this end?  
>It goes on and on.<br>Over and over and over again.  
>Keeps spinning around<br>I know that it won't stop_  
>'<em>Til I step down from this for good.<em>

Prue walked along the darkened streets, through the more dangerous parts of the city. She had nowhere else to go. She couldn't go back to the Manor. She was too furious with what Piper had done. The one person in that family that she trusted had betrayed that trust. She had deceived her. But she had no means to go to the Underworld, and knew it would be suicide even if she did.

The Source considered her a traitor. She knew that much was certain. Now the power of Ramara was gone. Her demonic powers were gone. All she had was the power she had been blessed with as a Warren witch. One of the Charmed Ones. But she didn't feel Charmed. She felt weak, exposed to evil and danger. She wasn't sure what she would do.

_I never thought I'd end up here.  
>Never thought I'd be standing where I am.<br>I guess I kinda thought that it would be easier than this.  
>I guess I was wrong now one more time.<br>I tried to climb your steps.  
>I tried to chase you down.<br>I tried to see how low I could get down to the ground.  
>I tried to earn my way.<br>I tried to tame this mind.  
>You better believe I am trying to be this. <em>

A shout from a nearby alley pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked over to see a young woman struggling against two men. Prue knew they were going to kill her. They would have their way with her and then kill her. Part of her—the fading part that had been evil for 24 years—laughed at the thought of them probably raping, beating and killing the young woman. But the part that was more dominant now—the part that wanted to redeem herself for all the evil she had done in her life—knew she had to stop them. That girl was an innocent person just caught up in a bad part of the city. Prue knew what she had to do.

"No! Please don't!" the woman screamed. One of the thugs held her against the wall while the other went through her purse and wallet. He threw her credit cards aside, looked at her driver's license and then tossed that aside as well.

"So _Michelle_," the thug with her purse said. He held up her wallet. "Why don't you have any cash, huh? What kind of person walks around without any cash?"

"Somebody help me!" she screamed, ignoring the questions.

The thug holding her against the wall laughed and shook his head. "No, Michelle. Don't you know the rule? You're supposed to yell fire. You yell help in the big city and nobody will come. Nobody cares."

"I care."

Michelle and the two men looked over to see Prue standing nearby. The thug with Michelle's purse dropped it to the ground and turned to face Prue, a smug look on his face. He eyed her up and down, taking in her tight dark clothing and her very appealing figure.

"And who might you be?" he asked. "Dark Angel?"

She thrust her hand forward, telekinetically throwing the two men down the alley. Michelle knelt down next to the wall, cowering in fear. One of the men sat up and stared fearfully at Prue. The other man was crawling and trying to get his footing so he could run away.

"Back off, bitch," the man facing her said. He quickly pulled a gun out of his inner coat pocket and fired. The bullet hit Prue in the abdomen, causing her to stagger and fall backward.

"Holy shit, man," the one without the gun said. "Holy shit. What did you do?"

"Let's get the hell out of here," the man with the gun said. He stood, grabbing his friend by the arm and pulling him along. They took off running and disappeared from the alley.

As Michelle crawled over to Prue, the witch just stared at her own blood on her fingertips. They were only mortals. How could this have happened?

"Oh my god," Michelle said. She saw the blood on Prue's fingers and quickly moved over to where the one man had left her purse. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911.

As the sirens came closer, Prue was in a haze. She was in a state of disbelief. This was what she got for helping someone? As the woman whose life she had saved spoke to the police Prue only heard bits and pieces. She couldn't comprehend how this was worth it. She shut out everything as she was loaded into the ambulance. She didn't hear anything else her innocent said.

Michelle watched the ambulence leave and then turned back to Inspector Trudeau. "She saved my life."

_Where will this end?  
>It goes on and on<br>Over and over and over again.  
>Keeps spinning around<br>I know that it won't stop_  
>'<em>Til I step down from this for good.<br>Sick cycle carousel.  
>This is a sick cycle carousel.<br>Sick cycle carousel.  
>This is a sick cycle.<br>Yeah oh.  
>Where will this end?<br>It goes on and on.  
>Over and over and over again.<br>Keeps spinning around  
>I know that it won't stop<em>  
>'<em>Til I step down from this for good.<em>


	4. Just Causes

**Just Causes**

**Music Credit: Divided by Tara McLean**

* * *

><p><em>check your weapons at the door<br>you don't live here anymore  
>but a heart cannot repent<br>when it doesn't know it's spent  
>its lifetime beating itself to death<br>there you are still as stone  
>stretching skin over bone<br>well they say I've lost my will  
>but I'm just standing still<br>in a world that swallows cowards  
>for the crime of killing time<br>I'm checking out the scenery  
>from as high as I can be<br>come let faith be your guard  
>and always changing<br>always still  
>still breathing<em>

Piper stared at a picture of her and Prue from her fourth birthday party. They had been playing "pin the tail on the donkey" and in the picture Piper was wearing the blindfold, the donkey's tail in her little hand. Prue was standing behind Piper. Every once in a while, when Piper was heading in the wrong direction, Prue would push her little sister's outstretched arm back in the right direction. Finally Piper pinned the tail and ended up winning.

But that Prue was gone. The words had left her older sister's mouth dripping with anger. Worst of all, Piper had been able to see that look of betrayal on Prue's face. Of all the people to deceive her, Piper knew she was the one Prue least suspected. And Paige had nearly died to save Prue's life. The events of that night and actions of all four sisters probably contradicted every character trait Prue had come to recognize in them over the past couple weeks.

She knew that all she needed to do to find Prue now was scry for her. She was a mere witch. No more demonic powers masking that. She could find her in a matter of minutes. But she knew she was wrong. She had made a bad choice, and she had to deal with the fact that she couldn't control who Prue was supposed to be. She had to let Prue create that for herself. She couldn't smother her. It was time to let Prue breathe.

_and there you are in my mind  
>there from living underground<br>divided and divided until  
>no one can be found<br>nothing left to break down  
>but I'm checking out the scenery<br>from as high as I can be  
>come let faith be your guard<br>and always changing  
>always still<br>still breathing_

Prue's breathing was steady, as was the beeping on the heart monitor. She had lost a lot of blood, but otherwise she was going to be fine, physically. Andy stood in the doorway and just watched her, waiting. He was confused as hell about what had happened, but he knew he had to get an explanation from Prue before he did anything. As far as he knew, she had the power to kill him with a flick of her wrist. If he did anything that she didn't approve of, he would regret it, he was sure. He watched as her eyes opened and she looked around, trying to figure out what was going on.

"You're in the hospital," he said. She looked over at him and then closed her eyes, laying her head back down on the pillow. "You were shot. Doctor says you're going to be fine, though. Bullet went clean through. Didn't hit anything major."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, wishing that anyone other than her sister's fiance were there.

"I pulled the case," he said. "I have to get your witness statement."

"I can't be a witness," she said. "I don't exist in this society."

"You exist," Andy said, stepping forward toward her bed. "You were declared legally dead over ten years ago, but you do exist."

"Let me rephrase that then," Prue said, an annoyed tone in her voice. "I don't want to be a witness."

"We need someone to back up Michelle Taylor's statement," Andy said. Prue looked at him, confused.

"Who the hell is Michelle Taylor?"

"She's the woman who was being mugged," Andy answered. "The woman whose life you saved."

Prue just sighed and closed her eyes again. She wasn't used to feeling this much pain. It was something she had been able to shrug off when she was evil. Now it seemed to take over her entire body.

"If you don't mind me asking, what were you doing in that alley? And how did those guys get the jump on you?"

Prue didn't look at him. She just laid there as she spoke. "Your girlfriend decided to banish all of my demonic powers along with the power of Ramara. Let's say I'm not used to having to use only telekinesis and astral projection."

"But were you trying to save Michelle's life?" he asked.

"Well, I took a bullet for her, so I'd say yeah," Prue said sarcastically. "Although I doubt that'll be happening again. Didn't quite realize that nearly dying is the reward for helping the innocent."

"It's a drawback sure, but if you're good at it, it's a drawback you probably won't experience all that often," Andy said. Prue didn't respond. "You know, I got shot once. I was a rookie. It was just a routine traffic stop. But the driver I'd pulled over was wanted for murder and armed robbery. Walked up to the driver's window, asked for his license and registration and took two 38 caliber rounds at point blank range."

Prue had opened her eyes now. She was looking at Andy in a way that he wasn't sure how to interpret. She was either very interested or very confused as to why he was telling the story. He wasn't sure, but continued anyway.

"The first bullet hit my vest, just left a bruise on my chest. But the second one went high. It hit me a little above the collar bone and was pretty close to hitting my carotid artery. If it had, I would've bled to death on the side of the road," he explained. "It freaked me out. Freaked Piper out even—"

"Please don't mention her," Prue interrupted sharply.

"Why?" Andy asked. Prue just grumbled and was about to explain when Andy figured it out for himself. "She didn't tell you that she was banishing all of your demonic powers." Prue just nodded her head. "Okay, then I'll just get to the point of my story because she's not really a huge part of it. The problem I had after I had been shot was getting back to my job. After I went back to work I spent six months behind a desk. My captain liked me, so he was lenient and let me have all the time I needed, but after a while he started pushing for me to get back on the street. I started questioning what I was doing. I almost died for a traffic ticket. Some punk nearly ended my life for something that wouldn't directly affect me in the grand scheme of things. Then I had to think of it a different way. What if Pi…um, what if he had killed someone I loved? I would want justice for that. And I helped get justice for the person he did kill. He's still in jail now."

"Maybe I'm still out of it, but I'm still not seeing the point," Prue said.

"The point is that the feeling of satisfaction I have for putting that guy away outweighs the pain I felt from that bullet," Andy explained. "My description of him and his car helped get him caught, and my testimony in court got him convicted for attempted murder of a police officer as well as the charges he was already facing. I got justice." Prue looked away from Andy and thought about it as he continued speaking. "You saved a woman's life tonight. With or without your powers, what you did was extremely brave and that woman will always remember you. You're a hero, Prue. Tell me that doesn't feel good."

Prue couldn't stop a small smile from creeping across her lips. It did feel good. It was something she had never felt before. She had never thought of gaining this kind of satisfaction from an act of good. Before, when she had first encountered Mark and brought him to the Manor, she was just doing it because she thought it was what she had to do. She didn't really realize what it was to be good. She looked over at Andy who was smiling as well.

"Okay, so it feels good," she said, giving him what he was waiting to hear.

"So you'll be a witness?" he asked. She nodded her head. "Okay, well I'll let you rest before I take your statement. My partner Inspector Morris will probably be with me when I come back. But he's cool. You can speak freely in front of him. He knows your family's secret." And started to walk away, but then he turned back and looked to Prue his smile faded. "Let me call them."

She shook her head. "I don't want to see them. Especially Piper."

"They're on your side, Prue," Andy said. "I know you don't think that. Piper betrayed a trust tonight, and I'm sorry. But you shouldn't do all this alone." Prue didn't budge. "At least let me call Patty. I'll make sure she doesn't tell the others. Things like this are harder when you're alone."

Prue thought about it. She did know that Patty had always seemed trustworthy. She hadn't spoken with her as much, so she wasn't sure about it. But out of everyone in that family, Patty seemed to be the best choice right now. She did want them to know. She just wasn't sure she could handle them all at once. She nodded her head.

"Just her," she said. "No one else."

Andy nodded his head and left the room. Prue shifted slightly and cringed. She was a mere mortal now. She hadn't thought about death since Belthazor had taken her from the Manor. She had come close to being vanquished a few times, but it had never really affected her like the events of this night had. She wasn't just worried about losing her own life. She was worried about the effects her death would have on her family. She worried about people she didn't even fully trust yet. These feelings confused her. She didn't know what to make of any of it.

_I'm checking out the scenery  
>from as high as I can be<br>come let faith be your guard  
>and always changing<br>always still  
>still breathing<br>come let faith be your guard  
>and always changing<br>always still  
>always still<br>still breathing  
>check your weapons at the door<br>you don't live here anymore  
>oh they say I've lost my will<br>but I'm just standing still  
>in a world that swallows cowards<br>for the crime of killing time  
>still breathing<em>

The furious screams of the Source echoed throughout the caverns of the Underworld. In his chambers, he grabbed one of his guards and slung him into the cave wall. Upon hearing of the unsuccessful attack on the Charmed Ones and the banishment of the power of Ramara the Source had become beyond angry. He had ordered that three vampires be brought to him and then he tortured and killed all three of them, working out his anger on them while he thought of a new plan of attack.

"I want to see Prue suffer," the Source said. "I want her to watch her family die and then I want to rip her head off her shoulders with my own hands."

"And you will, my lord," one of the guards said.

"Oh will I?" the Source asked. He thought about what he would do. Then he decided what the first step would be. "Bring me a darklighter. Bring me Ronin."

* * *

><p>"We're not going to be able to keep this a secret from the girls long, Andy," Patty said as the two of them walked down the hospital corridor toward Prue's room. Andy's partner, Darryl Morris, was walking behind them.<p>

"I know," Andy said. "Lord knows it'll probably be the first thing I say to Piper the next time I see her. I've never been able to lie to her."

"Not to mention the media attention," Patty said. "Prue was declared legally dead. If she's a witness in this, the media will be swarming all over her and us. That's not what she needs right now."

"It's going to be hard to keep her name out of it," Darryl said. "Uniforms picked up two guys who we think are our suspects. Miss Taylor's at the station now, getting ready to identify them. If they're the guys, Prue has to be named as a victim at least. She's the reason they're going to be charged with attempted murder."

"We can't have media attention on us," Patty said. "If something supernatural happens while a reporter is around, that will cause major problems."

"Okay, Patty, let us worry about that for now," Andy said. They arrived at the door to Prue's room. She was asleep. "You worry about Prue."

Patty nodded her head and entered the room while Andy and Darryl stepped further down the hall to discuss the situation. Patty quietly moved over to the left side of the bed and looked down at Prue. It was hard for her to imagine the woman before her as a killer. She seemed so peaceful, and as she slept Patty could almost still see the little girl she had lost so long ago. Slowly she moved her right hand down to Prue's hand. She hesitated for a moment and then took Prue's hand in her own.

She was drawn out of her thoughts when Prue jerked her hand away abruptly. Patty watched her cringe as the jerking motion caused a surge of pain from her injury. Once the pain had passed, Prue just stared at Patty, seemingly confused.

"I'm sorry," Patty apologized. "I didn't mean to…Andy called me."

"You didn't tell anyone else?" Prue asked, still untrusting.

"No. Andy told me what you wanted," she replied. "We're abiding by your wishes, until you tell us otherwise."

"Good," Prue said. She relaxed a little and they remained in silence for a moment.

"If you don't mind me asking, why me? Why me and no one else?" Patty asked.

Prue didn't look at her. "He wanted to tell all of you. I figured if I let him tell you it would get him off my back."

"I see." She paused for a moment and then broached a subject she knew could be dangerous ground. "What happened tonight, with Piper and your powers—"

"Don't apologize for her," Prue said. "It's not your place. She lied to all of us so the apology should come from her."

Patty chuckled at that statement. "For someone who was raised by a demon, that's a very human way to look at it."

"Well, I am a mere mortal now. I guess I should start thinking like one," Prue commented. "Besides, he was half human, so that might have something to do with it."

"What's the real reason you chose me?" Patty asked. "You're mad at Piper, so I wouldn't expect you to choose her. But why not Paige or Phoebe? You've interacted with them more than me."

"Because I wanted to apologize to you," Prue said abruptly.

"For what?" Patty asked, intrigued and confused.

"For two things," Prue answered. "For not believing you would do everything in your power to find me, and for disappointing you. I gave up long before any of you did."

"You were a child. You were scared," Patty said. "You survived."

"Even a six-year-old knows it's better to die than to kill," Prue said. "I was selfish, and I'm sorry."

Patty saw the sincerity in Prue's eyes, the need do anything possible to right her past wrongs, even in the smallest ways. She nodded her head. "Apology accepted."

They remained in silence for a while. Patty wasn't sure what else to say. So she decided to talk about what would happen if the guys the police caught were the ones that had shot Prue.

"Andy said that they think they've caught the guys who shot you," she said. Prue didn't respond. "Said that you were going to be a witness. Do you think that's a good idea?"

"I was under the impression that it was the right thing to do," Prue said. She shrugged her shoulders. "Am I wrong?"

"It's just that you were declared dead," Patty replied. "It was hard enough avoiding the media when we had to report you missing. Now you suddenly pop up after 24 years and you're stopping muggers. The media will be all over this. We've found that magic and the media are not two things we want to mix."

"Well, if we don't tell them I've been missing for 24 years, then there shouldn't be a problem, right?" Prue asked. "I'll just testify and be done with it."

"It's not that simple. They'll dig it up," Patty said. "We can try to avoid it, but they'll find out anyway."

Prue sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Then I'll just deal with that if they do figure it out. I really don't feel like thinking about that right now."

"Okay," Patty said. Then she thought of something else she wanted to talk to Prue about. "Where will you go?"

"What do you mean?"

"After you get out of the hospital," she explained. "Where will you go?"

"I don't know," Prue said. "Haven't really thought about it. I guess I need to start creating a life for myself. Get a job and all that."

"Do you know what you want to do?" Patty asked, becoming curious about what kind of life Prue would want to have.

"Not sure. I'm really not sure what would interest me enough to do it every day," Prue replied. She chuckled and thought about how she had approached those muggers out of the blue. "Maybe I should be a cop."

Patty chuckled with her. "Maybe Andy could put in a good word for you." They both laughed at that for a moment. When their laughter died down, Patty returned to her original question. "But where will you go? Where will you stay?"

"I guess I could find a place," Prue said. "I'll deal with it when I come to it."

"You don't think to the future much, do you?" Patty asked, noticing that Prue liked to deal with things as she came to them.

"I used to," she replied. "Had big plans. I was going to make my way up the hierarchy in the Underworld. I was pretty close to being at the Source's right hand. But that future's shot. I don't know what my plans are. I'm dealing with everything as it happens. I don't know what to expect anymore."

"Come back to the Manor with me," Patty said. Prue looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Well I definitely wasn't expecting that," she said. Patty didn't respond. "You're serious?"

"Absolutely," she said. "Piper's going to be moving in with Andy soon. And Paige will be moving in with Glen not too long after that. We'll have the space. You'll need a place to stay."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Prue said. Patty waited for her to elaborate. "To be perfectly honest, I don't trust all of you, yet. I know I should. Part of me wants to. But I've lived most of my life trusting nobody but myself."

"What about Belthazor?"

"That wasn't trust," Prue said. "We never trusted each other. We were always watching each other, waiting for the day when one of us would make the move and kill the other one. Belthazor just let his guard down at the wrong time."

"Maybe you don't trust us, but we trust you," Patty said. Prue shot her a look of disbelief and she shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, so maybe Paige doesn't trust you, but I know that the rest of us do."

Prue sighed and closed her eyes. She wasn't sure what to say. She knew it would probably be best. She didn't have any money or a place to stay. She didn't have many options.

"I'm really tired," she said finally. "I'll think about it."

"Okay, that's fine," Patty said. She started to walk away. "I'll let you rest."

As Patty was almost out the door, Prue called after her. "You can tell them." Patty looked back. "You can tell the others. Not like they wouldn't find out sooner or later."

Patty nodded her head and walked out the door, leaving Prue to think about her future. She had decisions to make, and whether she liked it or not, she was going to have to look to her new future and find out what she was going to do with her life

* * *

><p>Piper leaned against the kitchen table, her arms folded across her chest. She was looking down at the floor as Patty spoke. Paige was sitting in the chair to Piper's right and Phoebe to Piper's left. Patty was leaning back against the kitchen island. Sam stood to Patty's right. Leo leaned in the doorway to the dining room.<p>

"The doctor said she's going to be fine," Patty said. "No major organs were hit."

"I'm still a little stunned by the part where Prue got shot by a regular old human," Paige said. "Why didn't she just use telekinesis on the guy?"

"She was probably trying to use one of the demonic powers she no longer had," Sam said. Piper shot him a look, but nobody noticed. "She was caught off guard. She's just lucky to be alive."

"We need to be prepared for the media," Patty said. "Prue's decided to be a witness in this case, and I offered for her to stay at the Manor. She hasn't said yes, but if she does and the media gets wind of the fact that she's been missing for so long, we've gotta be ready."

"If it does hit the media, Elise is going to want me to get the exclusive," Phoebe said. Her job as an advice columnist had led her into the spotlight several times, but she had never received as much media attention as she knew Prue would get.

"Something tells me Prue won't want to give any interviews," Paige said. "I mean, how's she going to explain it?"

"She was six-years-old," Sam said. "Children can forget things. She can just claim she was raised by her kidnapper and had never really remembered or known about her real family."

"Which is half true," Leo commented. "She was raised by her kidnapper."

"To kill and maim," Paige added. The others shot her a look and she held up her hands defensively. "Yeah, I know. That part of the story is left out."

"We need to be prepared magically as well. Which first and foremost means that you three," she said, referring to Paige, Leo and Sam, "can't orb into or out of a room that has windows."

"Orb out of my closet," Paige remarked sarcastically. "Check."

"And no vanquishing in the house unless the demon attacks us here first," Patty continued. "If the media sees some demon or warlock explode into flames, we're in huge trouble."

"No fighting in the house," Paige commented. "Double check."

They all looked to Piper then, realizing she had been silent throughout the entire conversation. Phoebe decided to find out why.

"Piper, you don't have anything to say about this?" she asked, trying to read her sister's body language.

It appeared that Piper wasn't even paying attention until she looked over to Phoebe. She stared at Phoebe for a moment and then looked around to the others. She realized they were waiting for her to say something. But she didn't want to say what she was really thinking. She wasn't about to express all the guilt she felt to them. She didn't want to have that discussion at this moment.

"She can have my room," Piper said simply.

Then she left the kitchen, pushing past Leo. They were all surprised that Piper hadn't said anything more. But they also knew what she refused to tell them. She felt responsible. Prue wouldn't be in the hospital if she hadn't taken away her demonic powers. Her guilt was obvious, whether she said anything or not.

* * *

><p>Paige walked into Prue's hospital room carrying a duffel bag. Prue was sitting on the edge of the bed. She was surprised to see Paige there. Phoebe entered the room close behind. They noticed the surprised look on Prue's face and Phoebe explained.<p>

"Mom sent us," Phoebe said. "Brought you some clothes."

"Don't you two have jobs?" Prue asked sarcastically. She took the clothes and headed for the bathroom.

"It's Saturday," Paige commented. She looked to Phoebe who nodded her head, urging Paige the ask the question they needed to ask. They needed to know where Prue was going before she left the hospital. "Have you decided on mom's offer?"

"I don't know," Prue said. She cringed as she pulled the shirt over her head and it caused a surge of pain from her still-healing wound. Once she had the pants and shirt on she checked herself out in the mirror and raised an eyebrow. A long-sleeved, powder blue v-neck and jeans wasn't exactly her typical attire. She walked out and looked sheepishly at the other two. "I look weird."

"You look fine," Phoebe said, unable to suppress a smile. "It looks weird because it's not black."

"They're Piper's," Paige said. She handed Prue some tennis shoes and socks. "She has the most normal wardrobe out of the three of us so we figured it would be the best bet."

"So where do we go from here?" Phoebe asked, hinting that Prue should make a decision on Patty's offer.

"To the nurse's station to sign out," Prue answered as she tied the shoes.

"And after that?" Phoebe asked, still waiting for a decision. Prue didn't respond. "She's getting a room ready for you as we speak."

Prue looked up and Paige added, "Piper's moving in with Andy early. Her room is your room."

"She's giving me her room," Prue said with a sardonic smile. "How noble."

Paige and Phoebe glanced at each other, knowing Piper wasn't exactly the best subject with Prue.

"She knows she was wrong," Phoebe said. "She feels guilty about it."

"Then why isn't she here?" Prue asked. She stood and walked out of the room before the other two could think of an answer. She quickly signed some papers, took a prescription for pain killers from the nurse and walked away. Paige and Phoebe followed her.

"She's helping mom get the room ready, packing…" Paige tried to explain. Prue shook her head but didn't look back. She kept walking as she spoke.

"I've been in the hospital for three days. Don't make excuses for her," Prue said sharply.

"We know you feel angry…" Phoebe began. Prue stopped and turned to face her.

"How the hell do you know what I feel?" she asked. "She was the only person I trusted. I trusted her to help me. Angry doesn't cover what I feel."

"She can still help you," Paige said. "We all can."

"Don't bother," Prue said. She turned and began walking again. "Go home. I'm not going with you."

Paige and Phoebe stopped walking and looked to each other, wondering if they should follow her or back off. They decided they wouldn't get anywhere by being a nuisance. So they watched her walk out of the hospital and out of sight.

* * *

><p>"Trudeau. Morris. Get in here," Captain Tillman called. The two inspectors looked at each other and then walked toward the captain's office. When they were inside, he pointed behind them. "Shut the door."<p>

Darryl shut it and the two of them stood in front of Tillman's desk, waiting for whatever he had to say.

"You wanna tell me why it hasn't been brought to my attention that one of your witnesses in the mugging case is a woman who has been missing for the past 24 years, presumed dead? This is a woman who's related to your fiance, Trudeau," he said sharply. "You can't claim to not know what I'm talking about."

"We were trying to give them some time, sir," Andy replied. "If word got out to anyone else, specifically the media, they wouldn't have any time to get over the shock of Prue being alive."

"I know they're going to be your family, but you have a duty as a policeman to do your job," Tillman said. "Did you even bother to ask her who kidnapped her?"

"Yes sir," Darryl replied. He thought quickly and came up with a believable lie. "She did tell us that. She also told us that he died two years ago. His name was Cole Turner."

"Where the hell has she been?"

"Montana," Andy said. Morris looked at him, trying hard not too look surprised and confused. "He took her there and treated her like his daughter. She eventually forgot about her real family and treated him as her father."

"What'd he die of?" Tillman continued with his questioning. Andy and Darryl weren't sure how much longer they could keep up the story.

"Heart attack," Darryl answered.

Tillman sat there for a moment, thinking about their story. Finally he sat back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap.

"Write up a report for her missing persons file. Have her read it and sign it. Then we'll consider the case closed," he said. "Nobody knows but us and her family. As for the current case, her story doesn't matter. The DA is expecting a plea bargain anyway. Dismissed."

The two of them walked out of the office. When they were out of earshot of Tillman, Darryl looked at Andy incredulously.

"Montana?"

"I had to think of something," Andy responded defensively. "It's the first place that came to mind…well, unless you wanted me to tell the captain she was in the Underworld."

"All right, whatever," Darryl said. "We just need to tell Prue the story we made up in case anyone asks her about her past."

The two of them didn't pay any attention to the uniformed police officer who walked past them toward a pay phone. The officer picked up the receiver, deposited some coins and dialed the number.

"San Francisco Chronicle. This is Mack," the male voice on the other end said.

The officer smiled. "How much you willing to pay for a story on a woman showing up who's been missing for the last 24 years?"

* * *

><p>Prue walked down the street for a while, wondering where she could go. Belthazor had kept an apartment under his human persona, but the Source knew about it. She knew it would be dangerous to go back there. But where else could she go? She walked past a diner and stopped. It was called Buddy's. She remembered when she was little her mother would take her there all the time. They had the best hamburgers.<p>

She walked inside and looked around. There was a booth near the door. The smell of hamburgers and fries invaded her senses and she suddenly realized she was very hungry. She patted herself down, shoved her hand in one of the pants pockets and came up with a crumpled and stiff ten dollar bill.

"Good luck," she muttered to herself as she walked over to the table, sitting with her back to the door. She didn't mind the jeans anymore, now that she had found the ten that Piper had obviously washed by accident with her clothes. A waitress came up and Prue ordered a coffee. She stared at the menu, not noticing the two men who walked in the diner through the door behind her.

Andy and Darryl walked up to the counter and started placing their order. Darryl glanced to his left and started to look back to the server assisting them when he noticed who was sitting by the door. He tapped Andy on the arm, getting him to follow his gaze. Andy finished their order and then pointed to Prue's table.

"We'll take our orders over there," he said to the server and the two of them approached Prue.

"Fancy meeting you here," Andy said. Prue looked up and shook her head.

"I just can't get away, can I?" she asked. "Did they send you?"

"Believe it or not, we came in here to order lunch of our own free will," Darryl commented sarcastically.

"But they always say there's no coincidences," Andy added. "Mind if we join you?"

"Are you really giving me the choice?"

"Not really," Andy responded. He took the seat by the window across from Prue while Darryl sat next to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I remember them having great burgers," she answered. "Although I guess things could have changed in 24 years."

"As far as I know they've stayed the same," Andy commented. He glanced at Darryl who nodded his head. They had to tell her about what they told their captain.

"We had to tell our captain about you," Darryl said. "He found out who you were and confronted us."

"Great," Prue said. "There goes that whole idea of keeping it a secret."

"It couldn't be helped," Andy said. "Being involved with your family causes us to end up with a lot of unsolved cases. Our captain tends to keep a close eye on all the cases we work."

"But we're still keeping it as quiet as possible," Darryl said. "We've just got to file a report for your missing person file and then it's taken care of."

"And what exactly are we going to be putting on that report?" Prue asked with a laugh. "That a demon kidnapped and raised me in his evil ways?"

"Actually we told our captain that Turner kidnapped you and raised you as his daughter in Montana," Andy said.

"Montana?"

"Don't ask," Darryl replied with a smile.

"So, where are you going from here?" Andy asked. Before Prue could answer the waitress came over with their food and then took Prue's order. She left and Prue turned back to the two inspectors.

"Do you mean where am I staying?" she asked. Andy nodded his head. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Belthazor kept an apartment downtown," she said. She saw their raised eyebrows and reassured them. "I'm not staying there. At least I don't think I am. I'm just going to stop by to pick up some clothes and money, and then I'll leave. The Source could find me there."

"Isn't there some magical way to cloak yourself?" Darryl asked as he stuffed a french fry in his mouth.

"There might be," Prue said. "I don't know. With the Source nothing's guaranteed."

"Why don't you stay at the Manor?" Andy asked. Prue glared at him. "I mean if it's Piper you're worried about, she's moving out."

"It's not just her," Prue said. "I don't know if I could live with any of them. It's a 24/7 commitment. I don't know if I can deal with that."

"Something you're gonna have to get used to is not being alone," Darryl said. "Not just with your family. It's kind of hard to avoid people."

"I've noticed that," Prue said with a smirk. Darryl smiled back and Andy couldn't help but smile too. Of all the people Prue could warm up to, he didn't expect that person to be Darryl. They didn't seem to notice it so Andy kept his mouth shut…for now.

There wasn't much else they had to talk about. They talked about what would happen if Prue ended up testifying in court. They went over her story. Obviously the magical parts had to be left out, but luckily the other witness hadn't seen the two muggers fly down the alley. She was too scared to notice. So it was the muggers' word against Prue's on that one. They all agreed that Prue was more credible.

Darryl and Prue ended up talking about basketball. In her "travels" as a demon Prue had ended up becoming a Knicks fan while Darryl was a loyal Lakers fan. Andy was just amazed that Prue had had time to enjoy basketball when she was evil. He had thought all she thought about was killing and gaining more power. He had thought wrong.

As the two of them continued debating the strengths and weaknesses of their teams, Andy just sat by and smiled. He was glad Prue was connecting with somebody. She needed a friend, and at the moment, he knew she didn't see him or any of her family as friends. They were people with baggage, like her. But she didn't know Darryl's baggage, and she didn't care about it. She didn't know he had been divorced for a year. She didn't know that his wife would've been happier had the judge not given Darryl any custody rights at all. She didn't know that his divorce had been the roughest emotional rollercoaster of Darryl's life.

Even with his inside knowledge, Darryl didn't seem to care about Prue's baggage either. He knew about the killing and the magic, and amazingly enough, he wasn't apprehensive. When he had found out about the big secret initially, Darryl wouldn't go near the Halliwells. The mere mention of magic put him on edge. Andy had failed to realize how comfortable Darryl had become with the magical world over time.

Once they had finished their food, Andy and Darryl excused themselves.

"Good to see you again, Prue," Darryl said. Andy looked at him with a raised eyebrow. The sentiment certainly sounded sincere. Andy was even more shocked when Prue said the same, and meant it. Then he shook it off and turned to Prue.

"Reconsider Patty's offer," Andy said. "It's not safe for you to be alone right now."

Prue just nodded her head and the two inspectors left the diner. She picked at her food and stared out the window as they walked across the street to their car. She wondered what Darryl was saying to Andy about her, if he was saying anything and all. She wasn't quite sure why she wanted to know what Darryl thought of her. She had never cared what anybody thought of her. But now she did.

Outside the diner, Andy continued to smile at his partner. Darryl noticed this and questioned him, "What?"

"Nothing," Andy said, the grin remaining.

"Seriously, man. What?" Darryl asked, confused by the look Andy was giving him.

"You just talked about basketball with a woman you know was evil for the past 24 years," Andy said. Darryl scoffed and shook his head. "You like her."

"Get real, Trudeau," Darryl said. Andy laughed. "You can't be serious."

"I haven't seen you that comfortable with a woman since I first met you and your wife seven years ago," Andy said. Darryl shook his head. "What else could it be?"

"How about I feel sorry for her?" Darryl asked. It was Andy's turn to shake his head. "The girl's not really thriving in the friends department right now."

"I'm sure she'll be really happy to hear you're talking to her out of pity," Andy said with a smirk. "My advice, don't give anyone else that excuse."

They got in the car and the subject was dropped. Darryl kept denying it to himself, but sometimes he wasn't as perceptive as Andy.

* * *

><p>Phoebe sat at her desk in her office at the Bay Mirror, trying to give advice to a woman who was trying to work out her differences with her estranged sister. With her own personal experience, Phoebe had figured this one would be easy. But if she didn't know how to fix her own problems with Prue, how could she help someone else fix her problems? She looked up when there was a knock at the door.<p>

"Phoebe, is there something you've been meaning to tell me?" Elise asked. She had a newspaper in her hands. Phoebe just shrugged her shoulders and Elise tossed the newspaper, a copy of the San Francisco Chronicle, on Phoebe's desk. "Wanna tell me how we got scooped on a story involving one of our own employees?"

Phoebe read the headline and shook her head, running her hand through her hair.

_Missing Woman Turns Up After 24 Years, Stops Mugging_

"We were trying to keep it quiet, Elise," Phoebe said. She shoved the paper to the side and stood. "I mean, Prue just showed up out of the blue. Granted it's a pretty good story, considering she was declared dead and then she saves this woman's life. And maybe I should have at least warned you so I could ask you not to run the story but…"

"Phoebe, get to the point!" Elise exclaimed.

"The point is, we're still trying to adjust. Prue barely remembers us and she doesn't even know our other sister, Paige. We wanted a chance to get to know each other again. I don't know how the Chronicle found out about it." Phoebe sighed and leaned against her desk. She didn't know what to do. "Look, run whatever you want but I can't promise you anything. I need to talk to my family before I say anything that's going to be printed."

"Are you at least going to tell me what happened?" Elise asked.

"She was kidnapped," Phoebe said. "Her kidnapper raised her."

"And…?" she prodded. Phoebe shook her head. She grabbed the Chronicle from her desk and handed it back to Elise.

"Read about it," she said. She grabbed her purse and jacket and walked out. "I've gotta go."

* * *

><p>When she pulled into the driveway at the Manor, she couldn't help but notice the news van across the street. She hurried into the house as the reporter and cameraman got out of the van. Phoebe entered through the kitchen where Paige and Glen were eating lunch.<p>

"Houston we have a problem," she said, tossing her purse on the counter. Paige and Glen waited for an explanation. "Channel 8 is outside and the San Francisco Chronicle somehow got the scoop on Prue. The story's out."

"How? How did they find out?" Paige asked.

"I don't have a clue," Phoebe replied. Just then Piper and Andy walked in. Piper walked over to the fridge and grabbed a bottled water.

"You don't have a clue about what?" she asked.

"How Prue's story ended up in the San Francisco Chronicle," Paige replied. Phoebe pulled a folded up newspaper out of her purse. She had picked up a copy on her way home. She handed over to Piper who began reading it aloud.

"Prudence Halliwell was kidnapped and declared dead when she was six years old. Now, 24 years later, she has returned to San Francisco and is saving lives. Four days ago she stopped a mugging and was shot by the muggers." Piper stopped reading and skimmed through the article until she got to another point of interest. "According to confidential sources, Halliwell was raised by her kidnapper, Cole Turner, in Montana."

"What?" Andy exclaimed, snatching the paper out of Piper's hands. He began reading where Piper left off. "Turner died two years ago of a heart attack." He folded up the paper and tossed it on the table. "I don't believe this!"

"What? What don't you believe?" Paige asked. Everybody waited for Andy to explain.

"This is the story Darryl and I made up when our captain asked why we didn't tell him about Prue," he replied. "Our captain hauled us in and put us on the spot. So we made up this exact story."

"Then how did the Chronicle find out about it?" Phoebe asked.

Andy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

Glen grabbed the paper and looked over the article. He looked up at Andy questioningly. "Montana?"

Andy waved him off while Paige read the story. "So, how do we warn Prue?"

"She knows the backstory," Andy said. "Darryl and I ran into her at Buddy's."

"You know mom's instructions about avoiding the press are all well and good in theory," Phoebe said. "But if we have to vanquish something in the house, we're not going to be able to keep that news crew from seeing it."

"They'll give up eventually," Piper said. "When Prue doesn't come here, they'll take off to chase another story."

"What makes you think she won't come here?" Glen asked.

"She hasn't exactly expressed any desire to do so," Piper replied. "What would change her mind?"

"You never know," Andy said. "She might come around."

Glen nodded his head. "But the question is if she will come around here."

* * *

><p>Darryl turned the key in the lock of his apartment door as he juggled two bags of groceries in his other arm. He struggled to get the door open and one of the bags slipped and fell to the floor. He growled, set the other bag on the floor and knelt to pick up his spilled groceries. When he glanced down the hall he was surprised at who he saw. Prue was leaning over, attempting to pick the lock of an apartment three doors down.<p>

"Hey," he called to her. She looked up in surprise, dropping the hairpin she had been using as a key. She offered a small smile when she saw who he was. "Trouble?"

"Um, this is the apartment I told you about," she explained. She picked up her hairpin and walked down the hall a little bit. She picked up a can of green beans that had rolled away from Darryl. "I kinda left the key in the Underworld."

Darryl smiled and waved his hand, imitating her telekinesis. "Can't you just…you know…break it open?"

"I didn't want to raise suspicion," she said. "But I might end up doing that. My lock picking skills are a little rusty."

He picked up his groceries and kicked his door open. "Go figure I get divorced and move in down the hall from a demon."

"Divorced?" Prue asked. Darryl shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, for a year. Not something I talk about much," he commented. "Lots of grudges and child custody stuff."

"You've got a kid?" Prue asked, surprised for some reason.

"A son," he replied. He smiled. "Why are you so surprised?"

"I don't know," she said. "I guess you just seem too young to have a kid and be divorced already."

"I feel the same way," he said with a smirk. He stood in the doorway and then tilted his head inward. "You wanna come in? Contrary to popular belief not all bachelors have empty refrigerators."

Prue smiled and chuckled a little. Somehow Darryl made her feel completely at ease. She wasn't sure why. He knew everything about her that her family did. The only difference that she could tell was that he didn't expect anything from her. He didn't expect her to do certain things or be a certain person. He only expected what he saw in front of him. She wanted to go into his apartment. She wanted to just relax around someone. But she couldn't. She couldn't be vulnerable. She was afraid to let someone in. She felt it would make her weak, and she couldn't let that happen.

"I should probably just get my stuff and go," she said, gesturing back toward the other apartment. She offered him a smile. "Thank you for the offer though."

"Not a problem," he said. She started to back away and he called after her. "You know, I know you've got issues with your family, and I may not be the most impartial considering Andy's my partner, but if you ever need someone to talk to…" She nodded her head and he smiled. "Well, you know where I live."

"Sure," she said. Darryl offered a smile before ducking into his apartment. Prue shook her head and then turned to the door. She looked at the hairpin, tossed it on the floor and broke the door open with a flick of her hand.

* * *

><p>She arrived at the Manor and wasn't sure if she should just go in or ring the doorbell. Ultimately she decided it would be best to ring the bell. Sam answered the door and offered a small smile.<p>

"We didn't expect you to come here," he said.

"That's her," a female voice said. Prue turned to see a news reporter and cameraman walking toward her. Sam grabbed Prue's arm and she rushed inside just as the reporter called after her, "Miss Halliwell!"

Sam slammed the door and locked it. "Thanks," Prue said quietly. She looked around. "So, where is everybody?"

"Um, Patty and the girls went shopping for wedding dresses for Piper and Paige," he replied. "Andy and Glen are at their own places. Leo's working with one of his other charges."

"And you're holding down the fort," she said sarcastically "I thought whitelighters worked all the time."

"Yeah, well I'm taking the night off," he replied. He gestured to the stairs. "I could show you to your bedroom. If you're staying, that is."

"Um, I guess I am staying," she answered. "For now."

They went up to the room that used to be Piper's. It was bare, waiting for Prue to take up residence. Any pictures or plants or anything that had belonged to Piper were long gone. The bed was neatly made. All the furniture was dusted. Prue tossed the duffel bag she was carrying on the bed.

"So, I guess I'll leave you alone," he said. "Let you get settled."

Prue started pulling her things out of the bag as Sam turned away to leave. She turned quickly when she heard Sam cry out. He was falling to the floor and she reached to catch him, but wasn't close enough. He fell to the floor and that's when she saw the arrow with the black feathers sticking out of his chest. She was about to telekinetically throw the darklighter standing in the doorway when someone grabbed her from behind and held her arms at her sides. She glared at her attackers. She recognized the darklighter. The demon holding her was just some lackey of the Source's.

"Ronin, what the hell are you doing here?" she asked angrily. "What do you want?"

"Just doing my duty for the Source," he replied, smiling at her. He stared down at the injured whitelighter, revelling in his agony. "He'll be dead soon."

"What does the Source want with him?" she asked. She had a feeling, but she wanted to figure out how to get free and save Sam. "I mean, he's not even the Charmed Ones' whitelighter. Why risk coming into the home of the most powerful witches in history and kill their mother's lousy whitelighter? What points will it get you?"

"A lot of points," Ronin said. "We're going to break you down and make you suffer, traitor. You'll pay for your betrayal."

"My betrayal? I was never supposed to be on your side to begin with."

"But you were. You killed," Ronin said, stepping forward toward her. He ran his hand down the side of her face and gripped her chin. She shook her head and struggled against the demon holding her. "You maimed. You stole powers. You were an idol to demons everywhere. And then you broke. You turned against evil. You're a disgrace."

"I was a disgrace, but it's time to change that," she said. She fought against the demon, but he just held her tight.

Ronin moved his hand down and pressed against her abdomen. She cried in pain as he pressed against her wound that hadn't fully healed yet. Then Ronin hit her across the jaw with the butt of his crossbow. The bitter taste of blood filled her mouth. She spit it out and glared up at Ronin. She glanced down at Sam, who had lost consciousness.

"You're responsible for this, and you will be responsible for so much more," Ronin taunted her. "We will knock off your precious little family one by one until they're all dead. We'll kill the boyfriends, we'll kill your mother, we'll kill your sisters and then when it's all said and done, it'll be you."

He brought the butt of his crossbow down on the back of her head and her knees gave out. Her world was spinning. She looked at Sam, but he was just an unmoving fuzzy object lying on the floor.

"Tell your mom that the Source says hello," Ronin said. Then he kicked her in the head. She fell unconscious and the demon threw her over the bed to the other side of the room. Ronin and the demon looked down at Sam, smiled and then disappeared from the room.

* * *

><p>Voices echoed in her head as she started to wake up. She could barely make out what they were saying it first. But then the sound of panic rang through. Even before she could make out the words, the panic was there. Then the words came and she opened her eyes, seeing blurry objects. Someone was standing and pacing. Another person was standing near the doorway. She could see the top of someone's head over the bed. Someone else was leaning against the wall by the window.<p>

"Leo!" was the first word she heard. It was Phoebe's voice, crying out desperately.

"We've gotta get the arrow out," Piper said.

"Leo!" Patty called.

"Paige, don't touch it," Piper said sharply. "The poison can kill you too."

"Leo, dammit!" Phoebe shouted.

Finally, the blue orbs appeared. Leo looked around for a moment and then knelt next to Sam. Prue groaned as she turned onto her stomach, trying to push herself up. She stumbled and fell against the bed, causing the others to look over momentarily. But she was alive. It was Sam they were concerned with. They looked back to him and Leo. But Leo shook his head and looked up to Patty, tears filling his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Patty," he said, shaking his head. Patty fell to her knees by Sam and leaned forward, sobbing. Paige shook her head in denial.

"No, Leo. No!" she screamed. Piper and Phoebe were kneeling on the floor near Leo, crying. "Leo, keep trying! It's not too late. Heal him."

"I can't Paige," Leo said, louder and sharper than he had intended. "He's dead. I'm sorry. He's dead."

Paige collapsed next to her mother and Patty wrapped her arms around her youngest daughter. The whole family cried in mourning for the loss of someone so dear to them. Someone who shouldn't have died. Prue struggled to get to her feet, holding her hand to the back of her head where Ronin had hit her. She stumbled across the room and stopped at the doorway, looking back momentarily.

"Prue, what are you doing?" Piper asked through her tears. She wiped them away and stood. She couldn't help but notice the Prue's eyes were brimming with tears.

For the first time since she was six years old, Prue Halliwell was about to cry. "I shouldn't be here. If I hadn't come…"

"Prue, this wasn't your fault," Piper said.

Phoebe looked up at Prue and agreed with Piper. "You didn't kill him."

"Maybe not," she said. "But he's dead because of me."

She stumbled away and moved out of the house as quickly as she could. Piper called after her, but she knew she couldn't stop her. Prue would go where she wanted to go, and right now Piper had to worry about the rest of her family. The man she had considered her father for a majority of her life was dead. He was dead, even though they all thought he would live forever. But there was no living forever. There would always be a way to die.

* * *

><p>He set his beer down on the coffee table and muted the television when he heard the knock at the door. He wasn't sure who would be visiting him without calling first, but when he looked through the peep hole and saw Prue he quickly opened the door. She had dried blood on the side of her head and her jaw was bruised and swollen. Her left eye was also bruised and swollen. But all of this surprised him less than the tear tracks he saw running down her cheeks. She looked to him desperately.<p>

"Do you ever feel that no matter how much you try to do the right thing, or wish for it, that you'll never get what you really want?"

They stood there in silence for a moment and then Darryl nodded his head. "All the time." He stepped back and held his arm out for her to come in. She slowly walked through the door and he shut it. She just stood in the middle of the living room. "What happened, Prue?"

"Sam's dead," she said quietly. "I killed him."

"What?" Darryl asked, stepping back cautiously. He glanced at his gun on the coffee table, wishing Prue wasn't between it and him.

"I mean I…I didn't kill him, but I got him killed," she corrected. She turned and looked sadly at Darryl. This put him at ease. She was hurting, physically and emotionally. She wasn't going to hurt anybody. "He's dead because of me."

"Sit down," Darryl said, gesturing to the couch. "I'll get you some ice."

"I could really do with that ice being in a glass with some scotch," she said with a half-smile. She sat on the couch and leaned on her knees, gently touching the left side of her face.

"Sorry, I don't have any scotch," Darryl replied. He wrapped a pile of ice cubes in a towel. "Would a beer do?"

"That'd be great," she mumbled, rubbing her neck. He grabbed a beer and brought it and the ice to her. She took a sip from the beer and then held the ice to her jaw. She sniffed as tears started to well in her eyes again. Then she laughed and wiped them away. "This is ridiculous. I used to be the most feared evil around. I killed people. Now I'm crying over the death of a whitelighter."

"Your mother's whitelighter," Darryl said. He had seen this in witnesses a lot. The more prideful ones. The ones who didn't want to be vulnerable. Crying was a weakness they couldn't afford. "It's part of being human, being good."

"I used to think emotions were weak," she said. "What's changed?"

"You have," he said. "This reaction you're having is real. It's how people react when somebody they care about dies."

"I don't know if I cared about him," she said. She stood and walked over to the window, staring out at the people outside in the night. Bustling about, having fun, oblivious to all the evil things happening in the world around them. Darryl stood and walked over until he was standing right behind her.

"You care about the people who do care about him," Darryl said. "Your mother. Your sisters. They're hurting because he's dead. When they hurt, you hurt."

"What about you?" she asked, turning to face him. She took a drink from her beer and kept eye contact with him. "Do you hurt?"

"I do," he said. "They're my friends. I feel sympathy for them."

"Is that what I'm feeling?" she asked.

"Yours is probably more like empathy," he said. "That and guilt."

"Guilt," she said. "I've been feeling that for a while now."

She looked up at him. She just realized how tall he really was. His height gave him a strong quality. He was standing over her, ready to keep her safe if he needed to. She looked into his soft brown eyes and saw into his character. She was right. He was a protector. That's why he was a cop. He lived to help others in any little way. Even the most personal of ways. Listening to her talk. Showing sympathy for her. He would protect her.

Unconsciously they had moved closer to each other so that they were only inches apart. He was leaning down a little bit and they were just looking at each other, seeing into each other. She dropped the towel with the ice on the floor and reached up quickly but smoothly, placing her hand on the back of his neck. She pulled him down and pressed her lips against his firmly, ignoring the slight pain of her swollen lip. They remained in the kiss for a moment, neither of them really wanting to break apart. But finally he did break away. He stepped back and looked at her apologetically.

"We can't do this," he said. She looked hurt.

"Why can't we?"

"Because we're not thinking clearly," he said. "It's just…it's too much. It would end badly if we did this now."

"As opposed to doing it later?" she asked with an incredulous chuckle.

"You're upset," he said. "I've had relationships start this way and believe me. They end badly."

He picked up his beer and sat on the sofa. She just stood there for a moment before she walked over and sat beside him. They sat in silence for a moment, watching the muted basketball game on the television.

"You can stay here if you want to," he said finally. "I'll sleep on the sofa."

"Okay."

She grabbed the remote control and switched off the mute. It was the Lakers versus the Knicks, but they didn't really care. The game was just on to chase away the silence between them. They drank their beers and didn't speak. Eventually Prue stood and went to clean up. She retreated to Darryl's bedroom, crying herself to sleep. Darryl could hear her but pretended not to as he tried to get comfortable on the couch. He knew she wouldn't want him to know she was crying. But part of him hoped that eventually she would want him to hear her. Because even though he had told her they shouldn't do anything, he wanted to. He wanted to be there for her, and he wanted to protect her. He wanted to show her the good parts about being human. He wanted to prove to her that being good didn't always result in pain.


	5. It Won't Rain All The time

SONG CREDIT: "It Won't Rain All the Time" by Jane Siberry

* * *

><p>Darryl woke up at six in the morning, the sun streaming in on his face. He winced as he started to sit up, the crick in his neck shooting a stiff pain up his neck and into his brain. Slowly he sat up and looked out the window. It was a gorgeous day. He thought it was a slap in the face that the day after such a tragedy it could be so beautiful outside.<p>

He stood and walked down the hallway to the bedroom to check on Prue, but when he pushed the door open he found an empty bed. He looked around, wondering if she would leave a note, but he didn't find one. He sat on the bed for a moment, rubbing his stiff neck, when the phone rang.

"Hello," he said into the cordless receiver.

"It's Andy," the voice on the other end said. Darryl stood and walked out to the kitchen to start some coffee. "We had some trouble over here. Sam's dead."

"I know," Darryl replied.

"How?" Andy asked, confused.

"Um, Prue was here. She told me what happened."

"How does she know where you live?" Andy asked. Darryl didn't respond. "All right, whatever. I just wanted to let you know what happened. He's a whitelighter so I don't know what happens next. The girls haven't really been up to saying what happens next. Leo implied that when a whitelighter dies there's really not much in the way of a funeral. But there hasn't been much talk of that kind of thing. Not much talk of anything."

"I can imagine," Darryl replied. "How are they taking it?"

"How do you think?" Andy asked. Darryl didn't say anything. "Paige is taking it the worst of the sisters, I think. She's locked herself in her room. Won't even talk to Glen, let alone anyone else. Patty's been in the attic, digging stuff out of boxes. I'm not sure what that's about. Piper and Phoebe are pretty much what you'd expect. The usual crying and anger and denial and everything else."

"If you need anything, I'm here," Darryl said.

"Yeah, I know." There was a pause and then Andy got an idea. "Could you get Prue here?"

Darryl was surprised by that request. He didn't know how to respond. "Well, she's not here now. She left. I don't know how to find her."

"You don't have to," Andy replied. "She'll find you. She seems to trust you. I'm not sure what it is, but she does. If you suggest for her to come here, she might listen to you." Darryl didn't say anything. Andy just let him think about it for a little bit before continuing. "She doesn't realize it, but they all need each other right now."

"I'll see what I can do, man," Darryl replied. He wasn't sure what he could do, but he knew Andy was right. Prue would find him. He knew she considered him a friend. "You worry about the rest of the family. I might stop by later."

"All right, I guess I better go," he said. "Talk to you later."

Darryl hung up the phone after saying goodbye and leaned on the kitchen counter. The sun was shining brightly and he wondered if it was this beautiful wherever Sam was now. Death always made him wonder what happened after death. Every murder case he handled made him think about what might have happened to the victim after they died. Being friends with the Halliwells and meeting Patty's mother in spirit form proved to Darryl that there was something after death, but Penny had never been forthcoming with details. He wondered if everyone was in the same place or if different kinds of people went to different places.

Then he started running the statistics through his head, statistics he had learned as a homicide inspector. How often people were murdered. How often people died of natural causes. How often they died of accidents. While he was thinking about this, people were dying somewhere. And the sun kept shining.

* * *

><p><em>We walk the narrow path<em>  
><em>Beneath the smoking skies.<em>  
><em>Sometimes we can barely tell the difference<em>  
><em>Between the darkness and light.<em>  
><em>And do we have faith<em>  
><em>In what we believe?<em>  
><em>The truest test is when we cannot,<em>  
><em>When we cannot see.<em>  
><em>I hear the pounding feet<em>  
><em>In the streets below.<em>  
><em>And the women cry.<em>  
><em>And the children moan.<em>  
><em>And there's something wrong.<em>  
><em>It's hard to believe that love will prevail.<em>

Andy finished his call with Darryl and walked into the kitchen where Piper was halfway into the refrigerator, taking things out and throwing them in the nearby garbage can.

"What are you doing?" he asked. Piper backed out of the refrigerator to look at him briefly before she threw an old head of lettuce in the trash.

"Cleaning out the fridge," she replied. She turned back and pulled an old container out of the back. She lifted the lid and wrinkled her nose at the smell.

"Are you sure you want to be doing that now?" He stepped forward, took the container from Piper and tossed it on the counter.

She knew what he was getting at and leaned against the counter. "I need to do something."

"Why do you think you need to do something?" he asked.

"Because…I don't know," she said. "When Prue was declared dead and we had her wake, Grams was all over the place. She was being a hostess, cooking stuff. Mom was greeting people and getting them drinks. It was practically like a party. But they were doing something. Even I was doing stuff. Grams had me collecting plates."

"But you're not having a funeral for Sam," Andy said, knowing how she felt. How do you mourn for someone who you can't publicly mourn for? It was a human tradition to have a ceremony. It felt odd not having one.

"I don't know what to do with myself," Piper said. "I feel like crying but nothing comes out, and I feel angry but that's too dangerous. I nearly blew Kit up just because she walked in front of me and I tripped."

Andy stepped around the trash can and pulled Piper forward so he could wrap his arms around her. She leaned against him and sighed, feeling safe in his arms.

"He was our constant," she said. Andy didn't say anything, just waiting for her to explain. "He was always there, and we knew he would always be there. Darklighters had never been a problem for us. We had never given them much thought. As far as we knew, Sam would outlive all of us. He was supposed to be here for everything. Now he won't be."

Andy kissed her on the head and responded, "Yeah, he will. As long as you remember him he'll always be here."

_It won't rain all the time._  
><em>The sky won't fall forever.<em>  
><em>And though the night seems long.<em>  
><em>Your tears won't fall forever.<em>  
><em>When I'm lonely<em>  
><em>I lie awake at night,<em>  
><em>And I wish you were here.<em>  
><em>I miss you.<em>  
><em>Can you tell me<em>  
><em>Is there something more to believe in?<em>  
><em>Or is this all there is?<em>

Glen slowly stepped through the doorway and stopped a foot within the room. The sight he saw broke his heart. He had known Paige since they were in diapers and he couldn't recall a single time that she had been this devastated. She was sitting on the window seat, looking out at the neighborhood in the morning. She watched the neighbors come out for their morning papers. She watched them leave for work. And as she watched, silent tears streamed down her face.

She and Sam had been close. Their relationship was different than the relationship that Sam had with Piper and Phoebe. He treated them like daughters, but Paige was definitely his little girl. He was her role model and her mentor. He had taught her things about her powers that her sisters and mother never could have. He had protected her as best he could, but he had also let her learn from her mistakes. They had a special bond that Glen knew he would never fully understand. All he could do was be there for her, like she had thought Sam would be. He knew he had to help her get through this.

"Paige," he said quietly. She didn't move. Glen walked over and sat next to her. Carefully he placed his arm around her shoulders. She was tense, but slowly she relaxed and leaned back against him, still looking out the window. They sat in silence for a while, just finding comfort in each other's presence.

"He was supposed to give me away," she said in a strained whisper. Her voice was hoarse from crying.

"What?" Glen asked, not quite sure what she was talking about.

"At our wedding," she said through her tears. "He was supposed to give me away. That's what fathers do at weddings." She sniffed and leaned closer to Glen. "And now he won't."

Glen said nothing. He didn't know what he could say. She was right. Sam wouldn't be able to give her away. He knew their wedding wouldn't be the same without Sam there. He could only hope that they could find the strength to get through this together. Glen knew if they were to have any future together, he would have to give Paige his strength. She needed all the strength she could get.

_And the pounding feet_  
><em>In the streets below.<em>  
><em>And the window breaks.<em>  
><em>And a woman falls.<em>  
><em>There's something wrong.<em>  
><em>It's hard to believe that love will prevail.<em>  
><em>It won't rain all the time.<em>  
><em>The sky won't fall forever.<em>  
><em>And though the night seems long,<em>  
><em>Your tears won't fall<em>  
><em>Your tears won't fall<em>  
><em>Your tears won't fall forever.<em>  
><em>Last night I had a dream.<em>  
><em>You came into my room.<em>  
><em>You took me into your arms.<em>  
><em>And whispering and kissing me and telling me<em>  
><em>You still believe.<em>  
><em>Until I felt safe and warm<em>  
><em>I fell asleep in your arms.<em>  
><em>When I awoke<em>  
><em>I cried again.<em>  
><em>For you were gone.<em>  
><em>Oh can you hear me?<em>

Patty had been searching through the attic all morning, looking for something Sam had given her. She searched and she cried. The tears never stopped. It was a continuous flow. She just wiped them away and kept searching. In the back of her mind, she knew that her daughters were worried about her. They were worried because she was digging through old trunks and boxes in the attic after losing the love of her life. They didn't understand why she was searching instead of mourning. But these thoughts were buried. Patty didn't even consider them as she continued tearing open boxes and pulling at old locks on the trunks. She didn't stop when Phoebe and Leo entered the attic.

"Mom," Phoebe said. "What are you looking for?"

"It's just this…this amulet Sam had told me about. With a spell," she said. "He gave it to me. I want to find it."

"What's the amulet for?" Leo asked.

"Protection," she said. "Like any other amulet. But it was for whitelighters. He said it had never been tested."

She stood and crossed the attic, pulling another box open. She rummaged through its contents as Phoebe approached her, with Leo close behind.

"Can we help?" Phoebe asked.

"I'm not sure I even remember what it looks like," Patty said. "He said that the spell had to be said by a very powerful witch and that the spell could backfire and do the exact opposite of protect. That's why he never used it, but I have to find it." She shoved the box aside roughly and cried out, "Dammit!"

Phoebe knelt next to her mother and put her arm around her shoulders. "It's okay, mom. You don't have to find it right now."

"No, I do," she said. "I can't waste any time."

"Why not?" Leo asked. He knelt on the other side of Patty. "Why is this so important right now?"

Patty sniffed back her tears but it didn't help much as she crumbled. "Because I don't want Phoebe to lose you like I lost Sam."

Leo took Patty's hand in both of his while Phoebe wrapped her arms around her mother. "Phoebe's not going to lose me. I'll always be here for her."

"That's what Sam said to me when we fell in love," Patty said, sobbing on her daughter's shoulder. She returned Phoebe's hug with her free arm and Leo moved in closer to the both of them. "I miss him so much already."

"I know," Phoebe said. "We all do. But we'll get through this together."

"I just thought if I could find this amulet…" Patty began, pulling away from Phoebe and wiping at her tears. "I mean, there's really not much I can do for Andy or Glen, but you Leo…" She paused. "I thought at least one of my girls wouldn't have to feel what I'm feeling right now."

"But maybe that's just it, mom," Phoebe said quietly. "Piper and Paige know that any day they could lose Andy or Glen. Maybe the safety we feel from having immortal lovers makes it that much harder when we lose them."

"You thought Sam would outlive you," Leo said. "Maybe too much security can be a bad thing."

"How can I go on without him?" Patty asked.

Phoebe didn't know what to say. She thought about what Patty had said and she looked at Leo. She didn't know what she'd do if she lost him. It was hard enough losing Sam, the man who had been her father. He had taught her to ride a bike. He had given her first boyfriend the third degree when he had come to pick her up for a date. With all his whitelighter duties he had come to her high school graduation, and then her college graduation. He helped her pick her courses. He had been there through everything. She didn't know how to answer her mother's question because there was no answer…not at the moment. They would find the answer after time had passed. After each hour and each day, the answer would become clearer. And they would go on.

She stood and took Patty's hand, pulling her up off the floor. The three of them turned and silently walked out of the attic, at least knowing that the best way to get through this was together, as a family.

_It won't rain all the time._  
><em>The sky won't fall forever.<em>  
><em>And though the night seems long,<em>  
><em>Your tears won't fall forever.<em>  
><em>It won't rain all the time.<em>  
><em>The sky won't fall forever.<em>  
><em>And though the night seems long,<em>  
><em>Your tears won't fall<em>  
><em>Your tears won't fall<em>  
><em>Your tears won't fall forever.<em>

* * *

><p>"…goddam Lakers blew it again…"<p>

"…told me to get the hell out of his apartment…"

"…sales are down 30 percent…"

"…said I was a bitch in front of the whole school…"

"…sometimes I just wish…"

"…this sucks…"

Prue sat in the park, staring at the ground and hearing bits and pieces of people's conversations as they walked by. A lot of them talked about their problems, in their own minds thinking their problems really were earth shattering. That's always how it worked out. Your problems were worse than everyone else's. But their problems weren't that serious. Prue thought about her problems. They were pretty serious to her, but she wondered if there was someone else out there who thought of her problems as insignificant. Her problems could be like a lost basketball game to someone else. Was her problem insignificant?

She had left Darryl's apartment, almost ashamed that she had gone there. She was embarrassed to say the least. She was embarrassed for being so vulnerable in front of him. She was embarrassed because he had turned her down. He said it would end badly. Maybe it would. Maybe that was why she had tried it in the first place. All she had wanted was to ignore the pain she was feeling right now. She wanted to forget that Sam had died because of her. She wanted to forget that her family was surely feeling vast amounts of pain and anguish because of her. She wished things were simple again. A few weeks ago she would have laughed at all of this. She would have reveled in the emotional pain her family was feeling. A few weeks ago it wouldn't have been this complicated.

Prue looked across the park at a group of four women who were sitting on a blanket. They appeared to be related; all of them had similar physical qualities. Three of them had red hair while the fourth had blonde. The blonde one was the youngest. If Prue had a guess, they were sisters. The blonde one reached across and playfully slapped the one who appeared to be the oldest. The four of them laughed happily.

She stood abruptly and started walking, feeling a slight twinge of sadness when she saw those women. Those women represented what she and her sisters could have been like had she not been taken by Belthazor. Her human side wondered if she could ever achieve that kind of relationship with her family now. But the part of her that had been evil—the quickly fading part—scoffed at the women. Prue shook her head and continued walking through the park. Her mind wandered to something else she had been avoiding. What kind of life was she going to make for herself now?

The money that Belthazor had kept in the apartment wasn't going to last forever. It was enough to last off of for about two months. After that, Prue would be on her own. She was an intelligent person. She had gone to school and graduated from high school. Belthazor had insisted on it, stating that they needed to have identities for themselves in order to blend into the mortal world when necessary. She had graduated high school as Prudence Turner. She was one of the top ten students in her class.

But she had never planned on having a career. She hadn't gone to college. After high school, Belthazor focused on plans and strategies. The planning for their attack on her sisters had taken quite a while to put together. There was a lot of research involved. They had to dig up everything they could on the history of the Warren line, the prophecy of the Charmed Ones and the spiritual nexus under the Manor. Prue had actually enjoyed doing that research. She found the history fascinating. She had memorized the exact words of Melinda Warren's prophecy that had been spoken on the day she was executed for suspicion of witchcraft. She imagined what Melinda had looked like, how she had sounded.

Prue shook away those thoughts. How would history help her in the present? None of that solved her problem. She knew one of her options was to go back to the Manor. But she couldn't face them yet. She didn't know how she could make up for Sam. They had lost him because of her. She couldn't ask for their help when she had caused them so much pain.

* * *

><p>Ronin made his way through the caves in the Underworld, crossbow strapped to his back and confident smile smeared across his face. He had killed several whitelighters in his time, but none matched the boon of killing the whitelighter of a Warren witch. The only whitelighter more sought after was that of the Charmed Ones. He would be the envy of darklighters everywhere. All in good time.<p>

He rounded a corner and came face to face with the Source's personal guards. His smile faded and he stood tall before them. He didn't speak a word, merely waiting for permission to pass. They both eyed him up and down for a moment and then stepped aside in unison to let him pass. He nodded and made his way into the chambers of the Source. When he was standing directly before the leader of the Underworld, he went to one knee and bowed his head.

"My lord, the whitelighter, Sam, is dead," Ronin said, rising when the Source gestured for him to do so. "Killed by my arrow in front of Prue. It is a hurt she and her family won't soon forget."

"Well done, Ronin," the Source said with a satisfied growl. "Well done, indeed. You know your next mission. However, you cannot pursue the Charmed Ones' whitelighter yet. They are on guard. He will be protected. The next strike will not be one they expect."

"I'm not sure I understand," Ronin said. If his next mission was to kill Leo and he was to wait, he couldn't think of what the next strike would be.

"The witches are powerful but mortal, and they love mortals," the Source hissed. "They must die as mortals in very human and unexpected ways. I have enlisted one to continue the pain these mortal witches shall feel. Their hearts will burn to ash."

Ronin nodded, still not entirely sure what the Source had planned. It didn't much matter to him, as long as he was the darklighter enlisted to take out Leo.

* * *

><p>With no way to hold a funeral for Sam, Glen didn't have much choice but to report for work. He couldn't get bereavement time for the death of his future father-in-law when Sam was technically already dead. The girls all took sick time and Andy wasn't on-duty that day, but Glen didn't have the luxury. As a union carpenter, work generally depended on the weather and sick days in good weather weren't easy to get away with.<p>

He was headed back to the job site after lunch when he noticed Prue walking out of the park. It took a moment for it to sink in that it really was Prue. As big as San Francisco was, he had a hard time believing that they could just run into each other the day after Sam got killed in front of Prue, supposedly as payback for Prue turning her back on the Underworld. He was contemplating whether or not to approach when she noticed him. She stopped in her tracks, stared at him for a moment, and then hurried in the opposite direction. Against his better judgment, he followed her.

"Prue, wait a minute," he said as he caught up with her. She didn't stop.

"Why should I wait?" she asked. She glanced at him briefly but kept her gaze forward for the most part. "You would be wise to stay away from me. I'm a target, and the Source's minions don't worry much about collateral damage. I know I never did."

Glen knew she meant that last part to make him afraid of her personally in addition to the demons bound to come after her. It worked somewhat. He tried not to let that get to him.

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty used to that," he responded. He paused a moment. "Sam was used to that, too. Just because there's only one thing that kills whitelighters doesn't mean he wasn't ready to die...again."

"Doesn't change what happened and doesn't change the fact that none of you are safe around me," she said. She paused at an intersection and waited for the walk sign.

"We're never safe, whether you're around or not," Glen argued. "They're the Charmed Ones. I've come to grips with the possibility that Paige and I might not get to grow old together, but I've seen them defeat a lot of evil and am confident that they can take whatever's coming your way."

"They've never faced the Source. This is just the beginning. He'll tear them apart from the inside out."

Glen followed her across the street, contemplating what she had just said. From the inside out, from the heart to the flesh as he understood it. He wasn't going to let it go that easily, though.

"So don't you think it would be helpful if they had one more witch in their ranks?" he asked. "More power should mean better odds."

Prue shook her head and spoke sharply. "You're out of your depth and have no clue what you're talking about. Now stop following me."

She continued on and he obeyed her wishes. His lunch break was over and he had to get back to the job. He felt he had said what needed to be said. He just hoped that it sank in. As he returned to the job site, though, he had no idea he was being watched.

* * *

><p>Things at the San Francisco police department were fairly typical. Inspectors and officers came and went. There had been no new major cases. It was a good day for Andy to be off-duty, which made Darryl all the more confused when his partner walked into the office. He stood from his desk chair as Andy approached.<p>

"What are you doing here, man?" he asked in a hushed tone. "You weren't scheduled and we don't have anything pressing."

"Had to get out of the house," Andy replied as he sat. "I think Piper wanted me out of the house. I could tell she was getting tired of my concerned looks."

"How are they all doing?"

Andy shrugged his shoulders. "Paige is still hiding out. She let Glen in, but then he had to go to work. She locked her door again."

"And the others?"

Before Andy could answer, Captain Tillman came out of his office and addressed the entire office.

"Everybody, we've got a situation," he announced. "There's a construction site near Golden Gate Park. Ten crew members were taken hostage by an unknown number of subjects."

"Golden Gate Park? You're kidding me," Andy muttered so only Darryl could hear. When his partner raised an eyebrow, Andy continued. "Glen's on that crew."

"You're joking , right?" Darryl asked. Andy shook his head. "No coincidences, huh?"

"Morris. Trudeau. Listen up," the captain said before he continued briefing everyone on their orders. It didn't take long.

Soon Darryl and Andy were in Darryl's car headed toward the construction zone. They arrived to find a perimeter had been set with patrol cars and S.W.A.T. vehicles. Officers and members of S.W.A.T. moved about hurriedly. As he stepped out of the car, Andy looked up to see the 10 hostages sitting on an I-beam that extended out from the sixth floor of the structure. Andy approached one of the S.W.A.T. team members and borrowed his binoculars.

Third from the outer end of the I-beam was Glen. None of the hostages were tied up. It wasn't necessary considering resistance would get them shot and any misstep would send them tumbling to death. Andy returned the binoculars and turned to the scene commander, a man he had met once by the name of Bergin.

"What's the status on snipers, Lieutenant?" he asked. Bergin shook his head.

"These guys picked well when they picked this place, the 6th floor specifically," Bergin replied. "There are only two good shots, and they know exactly where they are because they're never in them."

"What are their demands?" Darryl asked. There were always demands. Except Bergin shook his head.

"They haven't communicated any. No phones in the building yet. If they have demands, they have to make the first move. We're guessing they have radio comm, but they haven't used it to talk to us."

Andy shook his head. This felt absolutely wrong. More wrong than most situations he'd been in, even the supernatural ones. He looked up again, no binoculars this time. He could tell the hostages were getting tired of sitting in that one spot on the I-beam.

"This feels wrong," Andy said, watching the hostages try to keep as still as possible. The man beside Glen on the right was lightly swinging his right leg, probably due to nerves. Other than that, none of them budged.

"It's a hostage situation," Bergin said. "Is it supposed to feel right?"

"I'm not trying to tell you your job, Lieutenant," Andy replied. "You've worked more of these than I have. But tell me if there's any hostage profile that fits this one? Why a construction site? Why not a bank or a grocery store? What are they getting out of this?"

"Maybe it's political," Darryl suggested. "Wasn't this supposed to be an extension of the park before some corporate developer swooped in and bought it?"

"They would have said something by now," Bergin said, shaking his head. "I've worked a couple political cases. They get the message out fast. Faster than the ones who just want money. The sooner the media gets here, the better it is for their cause. Trudeau's right. This is wrong."

Andy looked up again. He had enough experience with supernatural evil and criminals to know that when a situation didn't fit the criminal bill, it was pretty likely the supernatural was involved. It was time to call Piper.

* * *

><p>Prue sat in Buddy's just staring into a cup of coffee. Buddy's was slowly becoming her favorite place. She used to hate any place with a lot of people. But Buddy's was full of people, full of activity. She would watch the parents and their children having hamburgers and the kids fighting over the ketchup bottle. There was an elderly couple enjoying bowls of soup and sandwiches. Three teenage girls were laughing and talking while sipping milkshakes. Everybody's life seemed better than hers. Ignorance was bliss. None of them knew that she had been a killer. None of them knew that evil lurked around every corner. None of them knew that a good man had been murdered the night before. Prue longed for that freedom. It was the freedom not to feel guilty. The freedom to think losing a job was the end of the world. The freedom to actually enjoy a beautiful day without worrying about anything.<p>

She tried to ignore her thoughts of guilt and tried to think of things other than her family and Sam. But she kept coming back to that. She couldn't get it off her mind. She thought about what would happen next. They would try to find her. She was sure of that, especially after her encounter with Glen. They would also go after the Source. Prue wasn't sure if they could pull off vanquishing the Source. She liked to think they could, but part of her believed it would be suicide. She knew what the Source was capable of, and she knew that he would easily pick them off one by one. But the desire for revenge was part of human nature. Paige in particular seemed like the type to seek revenge regardless of what others said to her. She would go alone if she had to. Prue knew now that it would happen. And she had to stop Paige from doing something stupid.

She placed some money on the table and left the diner, deciding to go back to a place she had previously had no intention of returning to.

* * *

><p>When Piper opened the door to the Manor, she was just as surprised to see Prue there as Prue was surprised to see her.<p>

"I thought you moved out," Prue said before she could stop herself.

"Yeah, well, considering what happened, I felt the need to be with my family," Piper explained. She didn't mean to sound sarcastic, but it did come out that way. She gave an apologetic look and then stepped aside to let Prue in. Prue handed her a bag, which held a pair of jeans, socks, and tennis shoes.

"I bled on your shirt and couldn't get it out," Prue said as Piper realized the clothes were hers. "Figured you wouldn't want that back."

"No problem. Come in."

Prue finally crossed the threshold and walked into the parlor. Piper followed, curious as to why Prue came. She didn't expect it. None of them did as far as she could tell. Paige wouldn't talk to any of them, but Piper assumed that her youngest sister didn't give a damn what Prue did right now. She watched Prue sit on the sofa and waited for her to say something.

"I'm sorry," Prue apologized. She didn't make eye contact. She looked at her hands, starting to think this was a mistake. "I'm sorry, and I want to make things right."

"Sam's death wasn't your fault, but you can't bring him back," Piper responded. She set the bag of clothing on the floor and sat in the arm chair across from Prue. "There's no making that right."

"But there's re..." she began but stopped herself. She almost said revenge, but that wasn't the proper word. That was the wrong motivation for humans. Demons got revenge. Humans had a different word. "There's justice. It's only a matter of time before you all go after the Source, right? I want to help you."

"A darklighter killed Sam," Piper said, confused for a moment why they would go after the Source.

"A darklighter who was doing the Source's bidding," Prue explained. "You say Sam's death wasn't my fault, but it was. I'm the traitor. The Source sent Ronin to destroy the family I betrayed him for. The darklighter is inconsequential. You may not be thinking about justice, but I guarantee you that Paige is thinking about revenge."

"Paige hasn't set foot out of her bedroom all day. How do you know she's thinking about revenge?"

"Because I would be."

Piper considered that and to be perfectly honest, she knew she wanted revenge, too. Yet revenge was different than justice, and she was starting to get Prue's point. Paige was impulsive enough to go after the darklighter and the Source, especially in her current emotional state. She could possibly succeed, but she would get herself killed in the process. That wouldn't be justice.

"She'll get herself killed," Piper said. Prue simply nodded her head. "The Source will keep after us. If he's really punishing you..."

"Yes, he will, but I don't plan on letting him do any more damage," she said. At that moment the phone rang. Piper sighed and went to answer it. Prue listened to her side of the conversation, curious when Piper scowled. "Honey, what are you talking about? Glen what? Oh my god. We'll be there as soon as we can. No, don't try anything. I love you."

Prue waited for Piper to explain after she hung up the phone.

"Well, it looks like you've got your first chance to stop the Source from doing any further damage."

* * *

><p>"Paige!" Phoebe called as she knocked on her sister's bedroom door. Since Glen had left for work, they hadn't heard a peep from her. "Come on, Paige. Please let me in. Sweetie, you can't lock yourself away forever. I know it hurts."<p>

There was only silence. Phoebe sighed and rested against the wall next to the door. She didn't know what else to say. Normally Paige wasn't the type to hide out. She faced her fears and troubles head-on. This was different. Phoebe knew Paige's bond with Sam was strong, almost stronger than the Power of Three. She feared the breaking of that bond had broken Paige. She was pulled from her thoughts when Piper and Prue came up the stairs.

"Prue..." she said in surprise. Prue was the last person she had expected to see.

"Is Paige in there?" Prue asked, not wanting to waste time explaining herself to Phoebe.

"I assume so," Phoebe said. "I haven't heard her come out. What's going on?"

Piper didn't answer that questions. Instead she knocked on Paige's door, but there was still no response from within. Phoebe pushed off the wall and reached for the door knob. As soon as she touched it, she was drawn into a premonition.

In the Underworld she saw Paige sneaking through the caverns. Paige rounded a corner and stepped into a large chamber. She threw a potion at a demon in a dark hooded robe. Phoebe assumed it was the Source. The potion did little but annoy him and he promptly reacted by hurling a fire ball at Paige. Phoebe watched in horror as, in her mind's eye, Paige disappeared in flames.

"No!" she cried as she came out of the premonition and fruitlessly tried to turn the locked door knob. She pounded on the door frantically. "Paige! Paige! Open the door!"

"Phoebe, what did you see?" Piper asked, immediately concerned by Phoebe's fear. The commotion brought Patty into the hall. She simply waited for Phoebe to answer Piper's question.

"I saw Paige taking on the Source...alone. She lost."

Piper and Patty exchanged a horrified glance as Prue reached forward and urged Phoebe to step aside. She then used her power to break Paige's door open. The four of them stepped into the room and discovered what they all feared. Paige had already left. Her power to orb allowed her to seek her revenge without alerting anyone.

"No, this can't be happening," Patty said. The anguish of losing Sam kept her emotionally raw and knowing that her youngest daughter had gone to face certain death was more than she can bear. "Not Paige, too."

"Mom, it won't happen," Piper said, already formulating a plan. "Leo!"

He was there in a moment. With what had happened to Sam, he knew he had to keep special attention on the Halliwells. They needed him now more than ever. He would soon find out that was more accurate than he thought when Piper began giving orders.

"Leo, you're going to take Prue and me to the Underworld. Paige has gone after the Source alone. We have to stop her." Then she turned to Phoebe. "Phoebe, you and mom need to go to Glen's work site by Golden Gate Park. Andy will explain when you get there."

"What? Glen? Why?" Phoebe asked.

"Piper, I'm not staying here while my daughters go and get themselves killed," Patty protested.

"Mom, you're in no better shape to face the Source than Paige is," Piper responded. "Please, go with Phoebe. Prue and I will stop Paige." She saw Patty was still reluctant and took both her hands in her own. "Mom, please. I love you and I promise you that I am not leaving the Underworld without Paige. I will bring her back." She looked to Prue, who nodded her head. "_We_ will bring her back."

Patty finally nodded her head and stepped forward to embrace Piper. "Please be careful. I love you."

"Love you, too, mom," she replied. They pulled apart and she took Leo's hand. He held his other hand out to Prue, who reluctantly took it. She silently wished she still had the power to shimmer.

"We'll bring her back...mom," Prue said. Then Leo orbed to the Underworld. Once they were completely gone Phoebe silently led her mother down the stairs and out the door to find out what was happening at Glen's work site.

* * *

><p>Andy was surprised when only Phoebe and Patty approached him. He was expecting the whole family. He met them before they were too close to the scene. The last thing he needed was the rest of the police force overhearing a conversation about demons and warlocks.<p>

"Where are Piper and Paige? Surely Paige would want to come help her fiancé."

Phoebe and Patty shared a confused glance. They knew Andy wouldn't explain anything until they explained where Paige and Piper were.

"Piper, Prue, and Leo have gone to the Underworld," Phoebe replied. Andy's eyes widened in shock. "I had a premonition of Paige going after the Source by herself and dying. They went to stop her. Now, what's going on with Glen. Piper told us nothing and said you would explain."

"Glen and nine of his co-workers are being held hostage, up there," he replied, knowing it would be no use to argue about the fact that his fiancé had gone to the Underworld yet again. He pointed to the I-beam where the workers were sitting and the two women saw what he was talking about. "The profile doesn't fit any hostage situation we've faced before. There are no demands, there is no obvious money involved, and we can't get a clean shot from anywhere. We haven't seen the perps at all, but they're obviously a threat because the men aren't moving from that beam."

"You figured after what happened to Sam and the reason it happened, the Source is going after Glen now," Patty said. She now realized what Prue had come to the Manor to tell them before the situations with Paige and Glen came up. "He's punishing Prue. He's taking us one at a time."

"What do we do?" Phoebe asked. She felt at a loss. Her sisters and boyfriend were in the Underworld and the only active powers at her disposal were her power to levitate and her mother's power to freeze time. "I mean, mom, can you freeze everything so we can get up there?"

"I don't know," she said. "My freezes aren't as powerful as Piper's. I don't think it will be safe."

"Then what do we do?" Andy asked.

"We wait," Phoebe said. "Mom and I will try to get a look at your perps and try to come up with a plan, but I don't think we'll be able to do anything without my sisters. We have to wait."

* * *

><p>When they arrived in the Underworld, Prue motioned for Leo and Piper to step back as close to the cavern wall as they could. Leo had immediately begun searching for Paige, hoping to sense her.<p>

"Leo, anything?" Piper asked in a hushed voice. She was completely on alert and heeding Prue's silent warnings. They were all in major danger, but they had no choice. The best they could do was step lightly and quickly. Paige's life depended on it.

"Yes, that way," he said, gesturing to his left.

Prue led the way, with Piper and Leo close behind as they snuck through the Underworld. Prue paused at every corner and carefully checked for demons before proceeding. They had made so many turns that Piper was confused as to where they had even started. She trusted Prue knew where she was going and trusted that Leo was guiding them in the right direction.

"Athame!"

They stopped in their tracks when they heard Paige calling for an athame with her power. Then they heard a male scream in pain and an explosion. Prue looked around the corner and saw a warlock disappear in flame and Paige turning to continue on her journey. She had to stop her before she was out of sight.

"Paige, stop," Prue said. The youngest Halliwell turned, a potion in her raised hand. She was ready to vanquish anyone who approached her but stopped when she realized it was Prue. Piper and Leo soon came around the corner to join them.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked.

"I was about to ask you the same question," Piper said, trying to keep her anger caged. Anger was the last thing Paige needed to hear right now. Piper understood why Paige did what she did, but that understanding didn't keep her from being upset about it. "Paige, you cannot take the Source on alone. You'll get yourself killed."

"I don't care. It'll be worth it if I can stop the Source. I have to avenge dad. I have to."

"But you won't," Prue said, her tone not nearly as gentle as Piper's. "Your little potions won't even sting. You will face him and you will die."

"What the hell do you care?" Paige asked, angrily.

"I care. I almost wish I didn't," Prue replied. "A month ago I wouldn't give a damn. A month ago, I would've killed you all. It was easier then. But I do care now. I got your father killed. My betrayal of the Source got him killed, and for that, I'm sorry. I will do everything I can to help you get justice for that, but this isn't the way. It won't work."

Paige scowled. She felt the pain of Sam's death swelling up again. She felt her sorrow resurfacing.

"Paige, sweetie, it hurts so much," Piper said, calmly approaching her little sister. She noticed Prue was still on edge and knew they had to speed this up. "You and dad had a relationship stronger than anything. I know you are in pain and you want revenge, but Prue's right. This isn't the way. You don't have to be alone. You have your family to back you up. We will do this together. But not now. Please come home. Please."

Tears had begun to stream down Paige's cheeks. She lowered her head as Piper embraced her. Paige rested her head on Piper's shoulder, wrapped her arms around her sister, and unexpectedly the two of them disappeared as Paige orbed them out of the Underworld. Leo looked to Prue, held out his hand, and the two of them followed the two sisters back to the Manor.

* * *

><p>Things hadn't changed much at the construction site. Phoebe was pacing as Patty kept her eyes glued to the I-beam and the man Andy had pointed out as Glen. If she had to, she would test whether or not she could freeze everyone in the area, but until that moment came she couldn't risk exposing their magic in such a public setting. There was more at stake than Glen's life.<p>

"Still no demands. No communication," Darryl said as he approached Andy and the two women.

Just moments later, screams resounded from the by-standers who were watching this all play out and Patty's hand flew to her mouth. Everyone looked up to see Glen had slipped off the I-beam somehow and nearly fell. His upper body was draped over the beam and his legs dangled. One of the other men started to reach for him but then stopped abruptly. It appeared that man had received an order to do nothing. Andy guessed he had been threatened with the same fate.

"Patty," he said, desperate to help Glen. Paige would never recover if she lost her fiancé within a day of losing her father. He looked to Patty, wondering if she would take the risk. It looked like she was about to when the crowd's screams abruptly stopped. Yet Patty looked confused.

"Mom! Phoebe!"

They all turned to see Piper, Paige, Prue, and Leo running toward them. It had been Piper who froze everything except Andy, Darryl, Phoebe, and Patty. Glen was still dangling, his legs frozen in a flailing motion.

"Glen!" Paige cried, getting ready to orb up to save him. Piper grabbed her arm.

"You can't do that," she warned. "It'll expose us."

"He'll fall, Piper. I can't lose him, too," Paige argued.

"We have to go vanquish whatever's up there," Phoebe said, realizing that Piper was right. Then she looked to Prue. "You can keep Glen from falling. Stay down here. When everything unfreezes, be ready to boost him back up onto the beam."

After Prue nodded her head in agreement, Paige orbed herself and her sisters up to the sixth floor of the structure. They saw two human-looking men there. They couldn't be certain if they were only humans or if they were warlocks. The only way to know for sure was for Piper to release the freeze on them only. They got their answer quickly. Once the freeze dropped, one of the perpetrators flung a fireball at the sisters. They dove in opposite directions and Piper's hold on the rest of her freeze released.

On the ground below, the crowds screams abruptly resumed, startling Andy and Darryl. Prue was ready, having not taken her eyes off Glen. She used her power to gently help him pull himself back onto the beam. The crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief as he returned to his sitting position. Their relief was short-lived as all tem men looked over to the interior of the structure. The entire crowd was drawn to see what was happening on the sixth floor. They saw fire flashing, and most of them assumed someone was using a flamethrower. It seemed absurd, but it was the most logical explanation.

The sisters regrouped and were ready to take the demons or warlocks or whatever they were head on. One of them threw a fireball at the three of them, but Paige called it with her power and deflected back at him. He disappeared in his own flames. Piper separated from her sisters to draw the remaining demon's attention. It worked and he flung a fireball at her. She dove out of the way rather than freezing it in order to do her best to avoid exposure. Phoebe took this advantage to jump and kick the demon in the head. He lost his balance, and he staggered precariously toward the edge. They all heard the crowd screaming below. Prue used her telekinesis to push him back into the structure, knowing that if he fell it would expose magic.

Phoebe grabbed the demon by the shirt and flung him inward. Paige had summoned a large metal pipe in the meantime and she used it to whack the demon in the stomach. He fell to his knees and Piper froze everything again.

"We need to vanquish this creep," Phoebe said. "The police can't arrest him."

Paige pulled an athame out of her waistband. Her sister didn't even know she had it. She strode up to the demon and quickly thrust the blade into his back. This broke the freeze on him and he cried out in a rage as he burst into flames and disappeared. When Piper and Phoebe were able to look in Paige's direction again, they saw she had her eyes closed and appeared to be trying to keep herself together. The two of them moved to her side. Phoebe put her arm around Paige's shoulders.

"Glen's safe, sweetie," she reassured her. "Now we just need to get back to the ground and hope we haven't exposed ourselves."

Paige looked over to see Phoebe was right. The men were still frozen, but there was no longer a threat to them. When they unfroze, they could leave the beam and return to safety on the ground. Paige orbed them out, wanting to get Glen to safety as soon as possible.

* * *

><p>After the hostage crisis had been averted, the Halliwells and their men returned to the Manor. Paige had not gone back to locking herself in her room, much to everyone else's relief. She was, however, not about to let Glen out of her grip. The two of them sat on the sofa in the parlor. She was so attached to him she was nearly sitting in his lap. The others were seated around the room, except for Prue who seemed to prefer standing in the doorway, as if she needed to be ready for a quick exit.<p>

"So this was the Source's doing?" Glen asked.

He knew when the hostage situation had begun that the two men weren't truly men. Not that he could tell his co-workers that. When Piper's freeze released, the other men were truly confused. Their captors were gone, seemingly in an instant. There was no explanation. Yet there was no exposure. Nobody saw Piper, Phoebe, or Paige up there. The sisters were safe from exposure. They still had the Source to contend with.

"He won't stop until we're all dead," Prue said gravely. "Or until he's dead."

"We'll be going with door number two," Phoebe said. "He's not going to get away with what he's done."

The others silently agreed. Patty looked to Prue, not sure what to say. She had helped save Glen's life and Paige's life. Her mere presence in the Manor was unexpected enough, but the good she had done this day was mind-boggling.

"Will you help us?" she asked. It seemed like Prue had accepted her new role, her new life. "Will you seek justice?"

"I still can't say my motives are selfless," she replied. She was still conflicted about what she was doing, the evil was still trying to survive inside her, however weak it was. "I'm a target just as much as all of you, but the Source believes hurting you hurts me."

"Does it?" Paige asked. She still had a sliver of doubt about Prue. She may have saved Glen, but she had a long road to true redemption.

Prue mulled the question over. She couldn't deny the pain she had felt over the past 24 hours. It did hurt. Darryl had been correct. When her family hurt, she hurt. Her humanity was asserting itself. She knew it was only a matter of time. She couldn't erase the evil she had done, but she could use the rest of her life to do good. It had already begun. By helping to save Paige and Glen, she had solidified her path that started when she took a bullet for a stranger. She didn't need a premonition to know what her future held. Her mind returned to the words Phoebe had said to her after the attempt to complete the ritual failed, after Piper said the spell that started it all. Redemption awaited her.


End file.
